Giant panda "Reganmian" is pictured at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 21, 2022. After a half-month closure, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding reopened to the public on Wednesday.(Photo: Xinhua News Agency)

Giant panda fossils have been found in a 120-meter-deep cave in Central China's Hunan Province, a discovery of great significance for the study of the survival of animals and plants in ancient times and the evolution of existing species.

Researchers entered the bottom of a cave where they found what was most likely a complete fossilized panda mandibular fracture with its signature teeth, and the gums on the fossil even remained intact.

The team spent six hours collecting, packing and transporting the fossils exposed to the surface of the cave deposits. After morphological examination and DNA identification, the fossil specimens were all confirmed to be from giant pandas, in which the two canine teeth on the mandibular fossil were clearly visible.  

Giant pandas are regarded as "China's national treasure," living on the Earth for at least 8 million years. Since most of the ancient creatures that were contemporary with the giant panda have become extinct, the discovery of giant panda fossils has extremely high research value.

Researchers said most of the fossils were kept in local custody, with only a few important specimens will be brought back to the Hunan Provincial Geological Museum for research.