Giant panda years ago) from the main ursine stock; since it is the most basal member of the group, it is equidistant from all other extant ursids. The giant panda has been referred to as a living fossil. Despite the shared name, habitat type, and diet, as well as a unique enlarged bone called the "pseudo thumb" (which helps them grip the bamboo shoots they eat) the giant panda and red panda are only distantly related. The word "panda" was borrowed into English from French, but no conclusive explanation of the origin of the French word "panda" has been found. The closest
Xin Xin (giant panda) Xin Xin (giant panda) Xin Xin is a female giant panda that lives in the Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City. "Xin Xin" (新新 "new" in Chinese) was conceived via artificial insemination and was born in the Zoo on 1 July 1990. Her mother is Tohui (she died 16 November 1993) and her father is Chia Chia from the London Zoo (died in Mexico on 13 October 1991). Xin Xin is one of only three giant pandas in the Americas outside the United States. She is the youngest of the Mexican pandas. Xin Xin can be visited for free during normal