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Pandas鈥� obsession with bamboo doesn鈥檛 appear to make sense. None of their bear relatives are vegetarian, and their digestive system still looks like that of a meat eater.

However, a study has found that pandas eat the same amount of protein as that of carnivores, offering a possible explanation for their seemingly mismatched diet and digestive system.

Previous research has found that although pandas evolved teeth and jaw bones for chewing bamboo, these vegetarian bears have a digestive tract that resembles that of a carnivore.

Fuwen Wei at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and his colleagues studied pandas living in Foping National Nature Reserve in north-west China. Over the course of 15 years, the team followed several pandas closely to collect their leftover food.

After analysing the food鈥檚 protein levels, the team found protein contributed to about 50 per cent of their diet, which is comparable to that of carnivores, such as polar bears. Other herbivorous mammals, like horses, usually have a diet composed of only 20 per cent of protein.

鈥淲e were very surprised,鈥� says Wei. Pandas鈥� intake of carbohydrates and fats was also similar to meat eaters.

Although pandas exclusively eat bamboo, they are very picky about which part of the plant they eat, says Wei.

Pandas forage for bamboo shoots, which have the highest protein content of all parts of the plant.

In summer, when the shoots in lower altitude areas mature and become fibrous, pandas migrate into the mountains to look for late sprouts. During autumn and winter, when shoots are not available, they mostly eat bamboo leaves and ditch the stems, which are hard and low in protein.聽This may explain why pandas have retained a carnivorous digestive system, says Wei.

It is still unclear when and why pandas evolved to become herbivores from a carnivorous ancestor. 鈥淪witching to a bamboo only diet might be a smart move,鈥� says Wei. 鈥淭here are only very few animals that also eat bamboo exclusively, so they have fewer competitors.鈥�