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Giant pandas are black-and-white Chinese bears that are on the verge of extinction, and are a critically endangered species. They are difficult to census in the wild, but scientists believe there are about 1,600 remaining in the wild. These individuals live in scattered populations in central China, mostly in Sichuan Province, but also in Gansu and Shaanxi Provinces. Giant pandas specialize in eating bamboo, and so if the temperate bamboo forests in the mountains of central China continue to be cut down, there will be no room for giant pandas in the wild. This is why it is so crucial to support conservation research in China, and why we need to have a population of giant pandas in zoos as an insurance policy against extinction.
 These large, cuddly-looking mammals have a big head, a heavy body, rounded ears, and a short tail. The Chinese call the panda "Da xiong mao," which means "giant bear cat". It has unusual cat-like eyes, and its front paws have an opposable "thumbs". Most bears' eyes have round pupils. The exception is the giant panda, whose pupils are vertical slits, like cats' eyes. These unusual eyes inspired the Chinese to call the panda the "giant cat bear." Giant pandas are white with black patches around the eyes, ears, shoulders, chest, legs, and feet. This black-and-white coloring may camouflage the panda in the snowy, rocky environment.
The largest pandas grow to be about 250 pounds. They are about 5.25 to 6 feet nose to tail. The average adult male panda grows to be about 3 feet tall at the shoulder and weighs about 220 pounds. The average adult female panda grows to be about 2.5 feet tall at the shoulder and weighs about 180 pounds. Female pandas are called sows, males are called boars, and the young are called cubs.
Diet
Pandas have the most specialized diet of any bears. Their survival in the wild is based on only two species of bamboo, arrow and umbrella bamboo.
An adult male will eat about 40 pounds of food each day, and it may take him up to twelve hours to eat this large quantity. The bamboo plant is very low in nutrition |
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and high in tough fibrous plant mateial, making it not easily digestable. Much of his food passes through his digestive tract as fiber and is undigested. Because of its diet, the panda's throat and stomach have tough linings to protect them.
Another problem facing pandas in the wild is that theior favored bamboo plants grow only in a few places, thus limiting their range tremendously. Additionally, bamboo species go through periodic die-offs after they flower. Historically, pandas would migrate to other areas where the bamboo was still flourishing. With the greatly reduced bamboo forests of today, this option is not always available leading to periodic starvation among giant panda populations.
Pandas in captivity eat a more varied diet of bamboo, rice cereal, specially-made nutritious biscuits, carrots, apples, and sweet potatoes.
Pandas usually eat while sitting in an upright position. Sitting this way, they can use their front paws to hold their food. Panda front paws are very unusual. These paws have five clawed fingers plus an extra bone that works like an opposable thumb. This "thumb" is not really a finger (like our thumb is). It is really an extra-long wrist bone that works like a thumb.
Since pandas spend most of their time eating tough, nutrition-poor bamboo, strong teeth and jaws are very important to a panda's survival.
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Natural Habitat
The natural habitat of the giant panda is cool, wet, cloudy mountain forest land where bamboo grows. Giant pandas are found in mixed deciduous/evergreen temperate forests, between 3,000 and 10,500 feet in altitude. Pandas used to also live at lower altitudes, but farming and land development have pushed the pandas high into the mountains. |
Giant pandas are an endangered species and their numbers are dwindling very quickly as their habitat is destroyed. There are roughly 1,000-1,500 pandas living in the wild (in China). There are about 120 living in zoos and breeding centers around the world.
 Social Behavior
Giant pandas are mostly shy, solitary animals. They live most of their lives alone. A small group of pandas may share a large feeding territory, usually only meeting to breed. Giant panda bears are mostly silent, and they don't have the powerful roar of other bears.
Pandas vocalize extensively in social interactions. They "chirp" during mating and "honk" in distress. A "bleat" (a twittering goat sound) is a friendly contact call. A "chomp" (a rapid opening and closing of the mouth so the teeth audibly meet) is a mild defensive threat. A "bark" is used to scare an enemy. A squeal indicates submission or pain.
The giant panda's life span in the wild has not been accurately documented, but Chinese scientists report that some pandas in zoos have lived to be 35 years old. Hsing-Hsing, who lives in the National Zoo, turned 29 in 1999. Most animals live longer in captivity than in the wild.
Locomotion
Giant pandas have a rolling gait. Like people and other bears, giant pandas are flat-footed or plantigrade, meaning both heel and toe touch the ground when walking. Unlike many other bears, pandas cannot walk on their hind legs. Pandas are also excellent tree climbers, using their short claws to grab onto the bark. They are know to relax high in the trees in their natural habitat.
 Hibernation
Giant pandas do not hibernate since their food is available all year long. Also, bamboo is not high enough in nourishment to fatten them up for the winter allowing them to go into a hibernation period. During the cold winter months, giant pandas go to lower altitudes where it is a bit warmer, where they take shelter in hollow trees or dens.
Reproduction
Pandas have a very slow reproductive rate which contributes to their declining numbers. Male and female giant pandas mate in the spring, attracting each other with calls and odors. The gestation time is between 95 and 160 days after mating. Their cubs are born in dens that they dig in the ground. One or two cubs are born but usually only one survives.
Panda cubs are small, white, blind, furless, and helpless at birth. Except for marsupials (kangaroos, opossums, etc.), giant panda cubs are the smallest newborn mammals. They weigh only four to six ounces as newborns.
Like newborn human babies, panda cubs cry when they are hungry or need care from their mother. Their coats take on adult coloring about a month after birth. Cubs' eyes open at six to seven weeks. They will follow their mother at about three months after birth, and start eating bamboo at about 6 months. They are most often weaned at about 9 months.
The cubs grow very slowly, and usually stay with their mother for one to two years. They are considered fully grown at 2 to 4 years.
Predators of Pandas
Sadly, humans are the giant panda's greatest enemy. Poachers in China still hunt giant pandas for their pelts.
An Interesting Tidbit
The panda is a symbol of peace in China.
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