Study: Pandas can distinguish colors

ATLANTA, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology say they've determined giant pandas can discriminate between colors and various shades of gray.

Graduate researcher Angela Kelling tested the ability of two Zoo Atlanta pandas, Yang Yang and Lun Lun, to see color and found that both have some form of color vision.

"Most likely, their vision is dichromatic, since that seems to be the trend for carnivores," said Kelling.

In separate tests, the two pandas were presented with three PVC pipes, two hanging under a piece of paper that contained one of 18 shades of gray and one that contained a color -- red, green or blue. If the panda pushed the pipe located under a color, it received a reward. If it pushed one of the pipes under the gray paper, it received nothing.

Kelling tested each color separately against gray. In each test, the animals' performance ranged from mostly above chance to above chance.

The study is detailed in the journal Learning and Behavior.