Study Reveals That Giant Panda's Black and White Pattern Help Them Achieve Effective Camouflage

Giant pandas' unique black and white markings help them blend in with their environment.

The Study

Researchers from the University of Bristol, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the University of Jyväskylä employed a technique called state-of-the-art image analysis to show that the distinctive colors work to camouflage the giant panda, which is paradoxical. The findings were published in Scientific Reports on October 28.

While the majority of mammals are drab browns and greys, zebras, skunks, and orcas are a few well-known and fascinating exceptions. The enormous panda, though, is perhaps the most well-known of all.

Rare images of giant pandas captured in their natural habitat were analyzed by the international team. They noticed that their black pelage patches blend in with dark shadows and tree trunks, and their white patches, when present, match foliage and snow.

Disruptive Colouration

In addition, rare pale brown pelage colors complement ground color, giving an intermediary color that bridges the gap between the natural habitat's extremely dark and very light visual features. The results are the same whether the vision models are human, felid, or canine; the last two represent panda predators.

The researchers also looked at another type of camouflage called disruptive colouration, in which extremely apparent boundaries on an animal's surface break up its outline - coming to the case of panda, the borders between the big black and white patches of fur. They discovered that giant pandas, especially at greater viewing distances, exhibit this type of protective colouring.

Prof. Tim Caro from School of Biological Sciences at the University of Bristol explained: "I knew we were onto something when our Chinese colleagues sent us photographs from the wild and I couldn't see the giant panda in the picture. If I couldn't see it with my good primate eyes, that meant that would-be carnivorous predators with their poorer eyesight might not be able to see it either. It was simply a matter of demonstrating this objectively."

Novel Colour Map Technique

Finally, the researchers employed a technique called novel colour map to compared a similarity-to-background metric across different animal species, including the giant panda. The background look alike of the giant panda landed squarely among other species that are generally thought to be well disguised, according to this comparative investigation.

The main author, Dr. Ossi Nokelainen, said: "The rare photographic evidence allowed us to examine the giant panda appearance in its natural environment for the first time. With help of the state-of-the-art image analysis, we were able to treat these images as if the pandas would have been seen by their predator surrogates using applied vision modelling techniques and also to explore their disruptive coloration.

Comparative results totally bust the myth of giant pandas being overtly conspicuous in their natural habitat."

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