Abstract:

The present paper gave a new and more detailed account of the exter-nal morphology and internal struc-tures of the brain of the Giant Pa-nda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)in comparison with those of two rela-ted carnivores,the North Americ-an black bear(Ursus americanus) and the raccoon (Procyon lotor). There are many differences in the external features of some important gyri and lobes.The panda brain sh-ows 6 bearlike and 4 raccoonlike fea-tures,but it also presents 8 impor-tant characteristic features of in own which need to be exphasized in view of the discussions that are now being held about the status of the panda within the carnivores.As far as the allometric relationship betw-een brain size and body size is co-ncerned the main observation is th-at of an evolutionary trend towards (1)higher encephalization and neo-corticalization,(2)higher cereb-ellar progression,in the panda th-an in the other two species.