Contrary to popular belief, pandas are not solitary beings. They interact with their kin and friends and are active participants in “social networks.” Trees marked with scent serve as their social media platform. But how did we discover that pandas are more socially engaged than we assumed?
A paper in the Ursus journal sheds light on the pandas’ lifestyle in China’s Wolong Nature Reserve. Their elusive nature and habitat in dense, remote forests have kept their social life hidden from human observation.
While it’s unclear how pandas socialize, recent research suggests that they are more socially engaged than we thought. They use scent markings to track their kin and friends, share life updates, and plan gatherings.
Pandas: More Socially Engaged Than Previously Assumed
Thomas Connor, the paper’s main author, conducted this research for his doctoral thesis at Michigan State University’s Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability (CSIS), USA. He spent months in forests, studying panda signs, as pandas are seldom seen. His work expanded on the observations of other CSIS researchers who suspected that pandas are not solitary, as reported by Phys.org.
Connor noted that once you know what to look for, you can spot trees marked with scent along ridges and trails. Pandas frequently mark trees with a waxy substance, indicating that they exchange information through scent marking.
To link marked trees with pandas’ social structure, nearby panda communities had to be documented. To investigate this, Connor collaborated with Professor Ken Frank from the MSU Foundation, a social networks expert and the paper’s co-author.
The researchers didn’t have a camera on a bear each time it sniffed a tree. Frank explained that once they had data about which bears were nearby, they could apply techniques and theories used in human social networks to understand panda social networks.
Frank likened these scent-marked trees to a social network. Like Facebook, they’re asynchronous, meaning you don’t have to be in the same place at the same time. This allows someone to broadcast something to a large group, and it’s a record. A panda marking a tree is akin to making a post on Facebook.
How Was the Research Conducted? To identify which bears were nearby, Connor collected a significant amount of data in the form of fresh feces.
Panda feces are the gold standard for observing these bears. What pandas lack in obvious sociability, they compensate for in fecal production, about 90 times a day. This leaves a reliable trace. Connor was able to extract DNA from fresh panda feces collected by him and his colleagues in a 46-square-kilometer area known as the primary habitat of pandas.
The feces data allowed scientists to identify specific bears near marked trees and show whether they were related. This enabled researchers to combine this information with their preferred communication method, scent-marked trees, to explore the panda social network.
Pandas: More Socially Engaged Than Previously Thought and Exhibit Seasonal Behaviors The study revealed surprising facts about an animal considered a solitary creature. Frank explained that once they could determine that the bears were in proximity, they could apply the technique of community detection or social groupings in social networks.
Frank likened it to high school. Groups have a lot of implications. There are strong norms in a group, and meeting outside the group is rare, but the information can be very important.
Scent-marked trees are full of information, telling the sniffer who that particular animal is, if they’ve met before. Additionally, the trees tell the sex of the marker, an idea of how dominant and large the bear is, and whether it’s ready to mate.
Connor said the most intriguing information they gathered is that outside of mating seasons, pandas seem to spend most of their time with family members. But they seem to spread out during mating seasons, likely using scent-marked trees as a map of territory.
This is an important behavioral shift, as moving outside family groups during mating season reduces the chances of inbreeding and competition. Connor noted that this result was preliminary and limited by the small sample sizes but a tantalizing one that should be followed up on.
“The findings from this study shed new light on how pandas use their habitat. They are part of coupled human-nature systems, where humans share their habitat. Anything we can learn about how they live and what they need can ultimately help in formulating good conservation policies and may provide a bit more understanding about our behavior,” said Jianguo “Jack” Liu, lead author of the article, CSIS director.
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