Editing Giant panda (section)

===Subspecies===
[[File:Quinlingpandabearr.jpg|thumb|The [[Qinling panda]] has a light brown-and-white pattern]]
Two subspecies of giant panda have been recognized on the basis of distinct cranial measurements, colour patterns, and [[population genetics]].{{sfn|Wan|Wu|Fang|2005}}
* The [[nominate subspecies]], ''A. m. melanoleuca'', consists of most extant populations of the giant panda. These animals are principally found in [[Sichuan]] and display the typical stark black and white contrasting colours.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zhao |first1=Y. |last2=Chen |first2=Y. |last3=Zheng |first3=Y. |last4=Ma |first4=Q. |last5=Jiang |first5=Y. |date=2020 |title=Quantifying the heavy metal risks from anthropogenic contributions in Sichuan panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca melanoleuca'') habitat |journal=Science of the Total Environment |volume=745 |pages=140941 |doi=10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140941 |pmid=32731070 |bibcode=2020ScTEn.74540941Z}}</ref>
* The [[Qinling panda]], ''A. m. qinlingensis'',<ref>{{cite book|last=Hammond|first=P. |title=The Atlas of Endangered Animals: Wildlife Under Threat Around the World|year=2010|publisher=Marshall Cavendish |isbn=978-0-7614-7872-0 |page=58 |url=https://archive.org/details/atlasofendangere0000hamm/page/58}}</ref> is restricted to the [[Qinling Mountains]] in Shaanxi at elevations of {{cvt|1300|–|3000|m}}. The typical black and white pattern of Sichuan giant pandas is replaced with a light brown and white pattern.{{sfn|Wan|Wu|Fang|2005}} The skull of ''A. m. qinlingensis'' is smaller than its relatives, and it has larger molars.<ref name=Wan>{{cite journal |author1=Wan, Q.H. |author2=Hua Wu|author3=Fang, S.-G. |year=2005 |title=A new subspecies of giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca'') from Shaanxi, China |journal=[[Journal of Mammalogy]] |volume=86 |issue=2 |pages=397–402 |jstor=4094359 |doi=10.1644/BRB-226.1 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

A detailed study of the giant panda's genetic history from 2012 confirms that the separation of the Qinling population occurred about 300,000 years ago, and reveals that the non-Qinling population further diverged into two groups, named the [[Minshan]] and the [[Qionglai Mountains|Qionglai]]-[[Daxiangling]]-[[Xiaoxiangling]]-[[Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture|Liangshan]] group respectively, about 2,800 years ago.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zhao |first1=S. |last2=Zheng |first2=P. |last3=Dong |first3=S. |last4=Zhan |first4=X. |last5=Wu |first5=Q. |last6=Guo |first6=X. |last7=Hu |first7=Y. |last8=He |first8=W. |last9=Zhang |first9=S. |last10=Fan |first10=W. |last11=Zhu |first11=L. |last12=Li |first12=D. |last13=Zhang |first13=X. |last14=Chen |first14=Q. |last15=Zhang |first15=H. |date=2013 |title=Whole-genome sequencing of giant pandas provides insights into demographic history and local adaptation |journal=Nature Genetics |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=67–71 |doi=10.1038/ng.2494 |pmid=23242367}}</ref>