Pandas Gallery

Beijing (PTI): Scientists from China, the US and other countries have joined hands to sequence the genome of the giant panda under a project that would help protect one of the world's most endangered species.

The sequencing and assembling of a draft sequence would be completed in six months and the results would help in understanding the genetic and biological underpinnings of the giant panda, the scientists associated with the project said.

Often called a living fossil and a symbol of China, where its only natural habitat is found, the giant Panda has been a subject for many research projects but little relating to its DNA.

About 1,590 of them live in the wild, mostly in the mountains of southwestern region.

Oliver Ryder of the San Diego Zoo's Centre for Conservation and Research for Endagered Species said the "most noteworthy" aspect of the project was it was the first genome project to specifically gather information for conservation efforts for an endangered species.

"The giant panda is a global conservation symbol and deserves such an effort," he was quoted as saying by official Xinhua news agency.

The project would help scientists understand the genetic basis for the giant panda's adaptation to its special diet and behavioral style and reveal the history of their population isolation and migration, Zhang Yaping, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Director of the Kunming Institute of Zoology, said.

Dr. Lin He, a professor with the Shanghai Jiao Tong University, said the gene sequence obtained from the project would greatly increase people's understanding of the reduced fecundity of pandas.

"The project is really ambitious and we are looking forward to it," Fan Zhiyong, Species Programme Director of the World Wildlife Fund China, said.

The panda, whose DNA would be sequenced for the project, would be chosen from among those at the Chengdu and Wolong breeding centers.