Bamboo is meatier than it seems David Lambert/EyeEm/Getty

Pandas’ obsession with bamboo doesn’t 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 …