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
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding organizations in improving ways to conserve giant pandas. For example, its partnership with Zoo Atlanta helped the zoo secure the loan of 2 giant pandas. To date, these 2 giant pandas, Yang Yang and Lun Lun, have produced five off-spring: Mei Lan in 2006, Xi Lan in 2008, Po born on November 3, 2010 and Mei Lun and Mei Huan in 2013. Other research partners include: On April 11, 2013 Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and CNTV reached an agreement on the establishment of iPanda.com after an official signing ceremony, and they immediately started preparing for the test