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We constructed a modular, biomimetic red panda paw with which toexperimentally investigate the evolutionary reason for the existence of thefalse thumbs of red pandas. These thumbs were once believed to have shared acommon origin with the similar false thumbs of giant pandas; however, thediscovery of a carnivorous fossil ancestor of the red panda that had falsethumbs implies that the red panda did not evolve its thumbs to assist in eatingbamboo, as the giant panda did, but rather evolved its thumbs for some otherpurpose. The leading proposal for this purpose is that the thumbs developed toaid arboreal locomotion. To test this hypothesis, we conducted grasp tests onrods 5-15 mm in diameter using a biomimetic paw with 0-16 mm interchangeablethumb lengths. The results of these tests demonstrated an optimal thumb lengthof 7 mm, which is just above that of the red panda's true thumb length of 5.5mm. Given trends in the data that suggest that smaller thumbs are better suitedto grasping larger diameter rods, we conclude that the red panda's thumb beingsized below the optimum length suggests an adaptation toward grasping branchesas opposed to relatively thinner food items, supporting the new proposal thatthe red panda's thumbs are an adaptation primary to climbing rather than foodmanipulation.

Mechanical Evidence for the Phylogenetic Origin of the Red Panda's False Thumb as an Adaptation to Arboreal Locomotion