Baffled scientists on a mission to discover what gives rare BROWN pandas their colour

科学家们在探究是什么让稀有的棕色熊猫呈现出这种颜色的过程中困惑不已

Giant pandas are best known for their black-and-white fur and the large black circles around their eyes.

大熊猫以其黑白相间的皮毛和眼睛周围大大的黑眼圈而闻名。

But Qizai, a nine-year-old male panda in China's Shaanx Province, has left experts baffled because of his unique coat of white and brown.

但是陕西省一只9岁的雄性熊猫“七仔”却因其独特的白色和棕色皮毛而让专家们百思不得其解。

Researchers are keen to find out what has made Qizai - the only brown panda in captivity in the world - different from his peers.

研究人员迫切想知道是什么使“七仔”——世界上唯一一只人工驯养的棕色熊猫和其同伴与众不同的。

'Up to now, we have not been able to explain the genetic mechanism of the unique variation of (Qizai's) hair colour, ' said Chinese panda expert Wei Fuwen, the head of a new research centre that is set up to study brown pandas like Qizai.

熊猫专家魏福文称：“到目前为止，我们还无法解释七仔毛色独特变异的遗传机制。”魏福文是一家新大熊猫研究中心的负责人，该研究中心是为了研究像七仔这样的棕色熊猫而建立的。

'According to current deduction, (the variation) could be caused by the overlap genes. However, we are not sure which genes have caused the phenomenon,' Wei was quoted saying by People's Daily Online.

魏福文表示：“根据目前的推断，变异可能是由重叠基因引起的。然而，我们不确定是哪些基因导致了这种现象。”

Preciously, it was reported that experts would arrange Qizai to mate with other 'normal' pandas to see what his cubs would look like.

此前有报道称，专家会安排七仔和其他“正常”的熊猫交配，看看它们的幼崽会是什么颜色。

The new panda research base, called Qinling Giant Panda Research Centre, was established in i'an, the capital of Shaanx Province.

新大熊猫研究基地--秦岭大熊猫研究中心，建立在陕西省省会西安。

It is the first organisation specialised in studying pandas from the Qinling Mountains, north-west China, and its main goal is to decode brown pandas' special hair colour.

这是第一个专门研究西北部秦岭大熊猫的组织，其主要目标是破译棕色大熊猫的特殊毛色。

China's Shaanx Province is the only place in the world where brown pandas have been spotted.

陕西省是世界上唯一发现棕色熊猫的地方。

Only 10 sightings of brown pandas have been recorded, and all of them took place in the central Qinling Mountains.

目前只记录到10只棕色大熊猫的踪迹，它们都出现在秦岭中部。

Qizai, whose name means the 'seventh son', was rescued as a cub at two months old in the wild after apparently being abandoned by his mother.

七仔的名字意为“第七子”，他在两个月大的时候被母亲遗弃，在野外获救。

He was previously thought to be the only living brown panda in the world until a wild panda with the same colour pattern was spotted roaming in a nature reserve in Shaanx in March.

此前七仔一直被认为是世界上唯一存活的棕色熊猫，直到今年3月在陕西一自然保护区又发现了一只棕色的野生熊猫。

The Qinling Mountain pandas are considered a different sub-species from the pandas found in other mountain ranges - namely in south-west China's Sichuan Province and north-west China's Gansu Province.

秦岭大熊猫是一种熊猫亚种，不同于西南部四川省和西北部甘肃省山区发现的熊猫品种。

Qizai's keeper He in told MailOnline in a previous interview that pandas from north-west China's Shaanx Province have different appearance to those from south-west China's Sichuan province, where giant pandas are thought to come from.

“七仔”的饲养员何新（音译）在此前接受《每日邮报》采访时表示，西北部陕西省的熊猫与西南部四川省的熊猫有着不同的外表。

'The pandas in Shaanx have lighter fur colour than the Sichuan pandas,' said Mr He.

何新:“陕西的熊猫皮毛颜色比四川的熊猫浅。”

'Some of them have dark brown fur around the stomach,' he added. 'But Qizai is the most brown panda of them all.'

他补充说:“有些熊猫的腹部周围长着深棕色的皮毛。但七仔是所有棕色熊猫中颜色最深的。”

According to the Qinling Giant Panda Research Centre, the Qinling pandas have rounder heads, making them look more similar to cats; while the pandas from Sichuan have more resemblance to bears.

据秦岭大熊猫研究中心介绍，秦岭大熊猫的头更圆，看起来更像猫;而四川的熊猫则更像熊。

Giant panda is known as 'bear cat' in Chinese.

大熊猫中文为“熊猫”。

Wei, the head of the new centre, said experts would continue to research on Qizhai's unusual colouring.

秦岭大熊猫研究中心中心负责人魏福文称，专家们将继续研究七仔的颜色之谜。

'We are trying to do more studies. We hope we could solve the riddle,' he added.

“我们正在努力做更多的研究。我们希望能解开这个谜。”他补充到。

英国每日邮报读者评论：

来源：三泰虎 http://www.santaihu.com/46053.html   译者：Jessica.Wu

外文：https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5883877/Baffled-scientists-mission-discover-gives-rare-BROWN-pandas-colour.html?tdsourcetag=s_pcqq_aiomsg

itsmyopiniononly, London, United Kingdom, 3 months ago

Now that is a Bor*ed Pan*da. How terribly cruel to keep his likes in captivity. He looks so bored and lonely.

这是只无聊的熊猫。把他关在笼子里多残忍啊!他看起来既无聊又孤独。

taylordawe, Dorchester, United Kingdom, 3 months ago

'Baffled scientists on a mission to discover what gives rare BROWN pandas their colour' - Err... genetics?

呃……遗传学?

JJ, Bedford, 3 months ago

Sunbathing? Chocolate? Bisto?

做了日光浴吗?吃了巧克力?

 

grooveisintheheart, uk, United Kingdom, 3 months ago

Evolving maybe??

或许是进化了？

Oldbloke, Oslo, Sweden, 3 months ago

They-like-to-roll-in-mud!

因为他们喜欢在泥里打滚!

Leader11, england, United Kingdom, 3 months ago

Coco pops for breakfast....dont need to be a scientist to know that! OBVS!

早餐吃了可可力（西方巧克力谷物早餐），不需要成为一名科学家都知道!

flowerpower, Bristol, United Kingdom, 3 months ago

cute or what... (watch for the red arrows ) Not the planes either

可爱吗？

Me, Here, United Kingdom, 3 months ago

Could they not spend the money on stop illegal trade in their medicines instead please. Then they might stop 10 of thousands of animals being slaughtered and becoming endangered instead of why a few bears are born brown.

难道他们不能把钱花在制止非法动物贸易上吗?这样他们或许能阻止成千上万的动物被屠杀并成为濒危物种，而不是花钱去研究为什么一些熊猫生来就是棕色的。