Zoologists are investigating the possibility the endangered giant panda has expanded its habitat in southwest China.

Residents at a remote village in Sichuan Province have reported traces of the bears in a mountainous area where they were previously unknown, provincial reserve authorities said Friday.

"Giant pandas appear to have been active in Sichuan's Dahua Township for more than two months. The area may be a new habitat for them," Luo Jian, an official with Shenguozhuang Provincial Giant Panda Reserve in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, said.

A resident from Dahua Village, Dahua Township, gave samples of animal excrement he discovered to the Shenguozhuang reserve for testing on April 30.

Tests revealed it came from a healthy giant panda. Sichuan University will perform further tests on the sample.

Giant pandas have not lived in Dahua Township for at least two decades, villagers said.

Some residents claimed to have seen giant pandas near the village in March and April.

If one panda has settled in the area, it was very likely others have, too, Luo said.

"We do not know for sure if the bears the villagers saw were the same panda. And it is difficult to know if it had always been living in Dahua's mountains or has come from somewhere else," he said.

"After further investigation, including catching one, it may be possible to conclude the pandas have expanded their habitat and population," Luo said.

If confirmed, Dahua will be the second giant panda habitat found in Liangshan's Yuexi County. The county's Shenguozhuang District, which is separated from Dahua by mountains, is estimated to have five or six pandas.

About 1,600 pandas are believed to live in the wild in China, mostly in Sichuan Province. Another 290 are in zoos as of 2009.