If the departure of the Wandering Isle happened hundreds of years after the Sundering, there’s still thousands of years of separation between the two kinds of Pandaren. They’re also not long-lived like Elves so generations that past would be far greater for more diversity, yet they’re still exactly alike.
Especially with the Mogu wars, the Mantids, and dealings with the Sha; they would have gained some notable genetic evolutionary changes throughout their history, with so much vast land to inhabit they should have greater diversity among them. While the Wandering Isle Pandarens have limited space, genetic diversity is also limited so they would stay relatively the same from the ones that departed nearly 10,000 years ago. Shouldn’t the Pandarens of Pandaria have greater distinctive differences from their Wandering Isle bretheren?
This is also a way at hinting of a possible Pandaren Allied Race, if they’re willing to change up the major differences between the two groups in a later revised manner. And… I’m bored, so I’m looking for stuff within the game timeline and story.
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If we do get an allied race of Pandas can it be little fluffy red pandas? Pretty please? We need more tiny races.

You forget that the Wandering Isle made frequent trips to the mainland in order to recruit those who had the wanderlust. Shen-zin Su only only stopped coming to the mainland a few hundred years ago, not nearly enough time for a genetic or cultural split to occur.

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Of course that would also require Blizz to give Pandaren some lore.
The turtle would make trips to pandaria until a few 100 years ago lore wise.
Gotta get new fresh recruits otherwise a whole lotta inbreeding is gonna happen
Oddly enough, female Pandarian can be red pandas tail and all. Yet, males have no such option.
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The male butt is too low for a tail like that to make sense. It would just drag along the floor
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Yeah, that was my assumption after thinking about it when I first realized it wasn’t an option for them.
It’s a shame cuz red pandas are just cute little buggers and the male pandaren are lacking in the cute department. Well okay their sleep animation is adorable when they’re just on their tummy
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Funnily my daughter and I will play “chicken chase” where my panda is asleep and awoken by a chicken pecking him to then be chased all around stormwind.
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Consider what Pandaria was like before we came along.
Unchecked Tauren relative tribes cropping up among farming communities, Mogu making movements in abandoned ruins and the Mantid massing beyond the Gates of the Setting Sun.
No Emperor rallies the Pandaren people, with only the Shadow-pan acting as a standing army to check these aggressors both externally and internally. To top it all off Mists cloud everything.
Something tell me the evolutionarily process of the Pandaren was somewhat barren or sterile due to the unnatural circumstances that threaded through-out their lands and the encouragement of an almost disconnecting emotional state less their uncontrollable feelings provoke the awakening of the Sha.
Once the Mists departed and we came along the icy surface of Pandarias peace was shattered as we wrestled one another into bloody conflict and awoke the Sha in our ignorance.
Its just ashame Blizzard has to recycle this story because the current team thinks they can one-up it. Or so they say to me its just a roller coaster of directionless slop.
This is not strictly true, as only negative feelings were discouraged.
Happiness, mirth, joy, and love were valued amoung the Pandaren, while emotions such as hatred, anger, and fear were discouraged.

Well I guess years of slavery made most of em want to mellow out.
Shado-pan must’ve picked up any trouble makers to fight or work in their armies.
It’s actually hinted at in-game that this is indeed what happens. Cubs who cannot control their negative emotions, or adults who are wholly overcome, are thought to be ‘recruited’ into the Shado-Pan for training.
The morality of such actions is another issue altogether. (yikes!)

Well it gives them discipline and goals to do, depending on the circumstances of their life/entry I suppose.
LiLi Stormstout has a skin from Heros that reflects her being in the Shadow-pan. So its feasible that without Chen in her life she takes a dark turn.
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