Qinling panda
| Qinling panda | |
|---|---|
| Qi Zai, the only brown panda in captivity, born 2008 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Ursidae |
| Genus: | Ailuropoda |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | A. m. qinlingensis
|
| Trinomial name | |
| Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis Wan, Wu & Fang, 2005
| |
The Qinling panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis), also known as the brown panda, is a subspecies of the giant panda, discovered on November 15, 1959, but not recognized as a subspecies until June 30, 2005. Besides the nominate subspecies, it is the first giant panda subspecies to be recognized. Most Qinling pandas are black and white, but a small number of brown and white pandas have been discovered, with Qizai being the only one in captivity.