Panda Bears are closely related to other bears, but they are also related to raccoons. Scientists have used DNA to find out that the giant panda is more closely related to other bears than to the raccoons.
Giant pandas are in the family Ursidae with the seven other bear species. Raccoons are in the family Procyonidae, along with ring-tails and coatis.

Scientists will have to keep working to find new information to figure out if that is where they belong. That is how science works. We keep trying to get more information and keep our minds open for new answers.

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