The panda (also known as the Giant Panda) is a species of Chinese bear, black and white in color, which is almost on the brink of extinction. Although it is hard to count them in the wild, scientists think there are around 1,000 of them living in the wild, and about one hundred in captivity. It is an endangered species struggling for survival. Let's take a look at the key facts about this remarkable animal.
The panda bear is scientifically called Ailuropoda melanoleuca, which means "black and white cat-foot." One rare fact is that the panda is the only bear species in the world with vertical slits as eyes, similar to cats. Most bears have round pupils. The panda bear has become the universal symbol of peace and goodwill because of its distinctive looks.
The bear has black tufts of hair around the eyes, ears, the snout, and all across its tummy. It is an extremely endangered species, with only around a thousand or fewer pandas left in the wild and around a hundred being bred in captivity. It has become the international logo of the WWF, the World Wildlife Fund, for exactly this reason.
Panda Mania
Panda has a typical bear-like body, but its coat makes it impossible to miss. The fur on its legs, shoulders, eyes, ears, and muzzle is black, while the rest of its body is snowy-white. Nobody knows for certain why pandas are colored this way, but scientists think the black-and-white pattern may work as camouflage in their snowy, rocky, shadow-dappled forest home.
These large bears have a short tail, round ears, a heavy frame, and a big head. They look cuddly, but keep in mind they are still bears!
In Chinese, the panda is called Da Xiong Mao, meaning 'giant bear cat'. That name comes from a surprising feature: unlike other bears, which have round pupils, pandas have cat-like vertical slits in their eyes.
Body, Size & That Remarkable Paw
Pandas sit in an upright position while eating. This frees their front paws so they can grasp bamboo. Each front paw has five fingers and claws, plus a special extra appendage used as an opposable thumb. It is not really like the human thumb; it is an extra-long growth of the wrist bone. This clever tool lets pandas grip bamboo stalks tightly.
The panda has a short, stubby tail that serves no purpose for swatting flies, but pandas are experts at keeping themselves clean. The bear has five claws plus an extra appendage, actually an extension of the bear's wrist bone. It uses this to grip and eat bamboo branches and climb trees. This extra-long thumb is one of the giant panda's most special features.
Similar in size to the American Black Bear, the panda is about 2-3 feet in height at the shoulder when it stands on all four legs, and is about 4-6 feet in length. The males weigh around 250 lbs, while the females are about 220 lbs. An average adult panda can grow to 2 to 3 feet in height when standing on all fours; males can weigh around 250 lbs, while females can weigh up to 220 lbs.
Scientists believe the black and white fur helps protect these bears by making them look intimidating to other animals. Most animals seem to be afraid of large black patches on other creatures. The panda's eyes have black fur around them, and the ears are completely black, giving other animals the impression that the panda has four eyes and is a predator.
Where Pandas Live
Once upon a time, giant pandas ranged all over eastern and southern China, North Vietnam, and Myanmar. Today, however, they occur only in a small area of China. Logging has caused a huge shrinkage of their habitat, and that is one of the main threats to their survival.
One important fact about pandas is that they are now found in only three places on earth. They live in the remote and mountainous terrains of China and some parts of America. In China, they live in the central mountains where there is snow and heavy bamboo vegetation, which grows to amazing heights.
Pandas live at heights ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 feet, in coniferous and broad-leaved forests with a dense undergrowth of bamboo. These forests are filled with heavy mist and rain all year round, and are usually cloaked in thick clouds. This habitat constantly receives heavy rainfall, mist, and snowfall, which helps the pandas blend in and hide. The camouflage works brilliantly, they can live at heights of 5,000 feet to 15,000 feet among the coniferous forests. Want the full picture? See where pandas live and how their range has shrunk.
The World's Most Specialized Bear Diet
Of all the bear species, the panda has the most specialized diet, it is made up of almost entirely bamboo. In the wild, pandas survive mainly on two kinds: umbrella bamboo and arrow bamboo. They also eat small amounts of other grasses and, occasionally, fawns of musk deer or small rodents. In captivity, pandas enjoy a wider menu, rice gruel, sugarcane, specially made high-fiber biscuits, sweet potatoes, apples, and carrots.
These bears are absolutely in love with bamboo. 99% of their diet comes from the nutrients and roughage they get from the stalks of umbrella bamboo and arrow bamboo. They eat bamboo all day long (12 hours out of every 24) and relieve themselves several times a day because of this specialized diet.
An average adult panda needs at least 20 kg of bamboo each day to satisfy its hunger. Pandas have specially developed molar teeth and a very strong jaw that helps them chew the hard plant thoroughly, making digestion easier. It is this strong jaw that gives them their distinctive round facial structure. The bear also feeds on other grasses and wild tubers.
Though pandas are usually omnivorous, they sometimes eat small birds, fish, and rodents too. Pandas bred in captivity also eat honey, eggs, almost all fruits, sugar canes, shrub leaves, and roots. Since pandas need to eat so often, it is quite normal for them to defecate 30-35 times in a single day!
Unlike most bears in cooler climates, pandas do not hibernate in winter. Bamboo is available all year, so they have no reason to sleep through the cold season. Also, their bamboo diet does not give them enough stored energy to fuel a long winter sleep.
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Behavior & Daily Life
The panda sits with its hind legs stretched out in a relaxed and content posture. They eat in a sitting position, much like the way a baby human sits while feeding. They may look lazy, but in reality they are extremely hardworking when it comes to feeding themselves and their cubs. They may sometimes climb mountains at 13,500 feet to collect food during summers. They are also good tree climbers, excellent swimmers, and hunters of fish.
Since pandas do not hibernate, they never make permanent shelter and instead prefer changing their nesting grounds. They sleep in the hollows of trees or tiny caves. They also move higher up in altitude as the weather gets warmer.
Pandas are territorial and do not appreciate other pandas entering their personal space. Female pandas do not let other females into their area, though males may sometimes allow abandoned younger males to share their space, but this happens only rarely. Like male polar bears, panda bears do not help females in looking after or feeding newborn cubs. Raising the cubs is the sole responsibility of the mothers.
Although adult pandas are usually solitary, meeting only to mate, they do communicate with each other at other times, by calling out, meeting occasionally in small groups, and leaving scent marks on trees and rocks. There's much more on how they spend their days in our guide to giant panda behavior.
Mating Habits
Giant pandas are solitary mammals and always live alone. They have a very sharp sense of smell that helps them stay out of each other's territory. They interact only during spring in order to mate. They leave scents behind to let other males know that a female has already mated and should be left alone, though they sometimes call out to one another when there is an immediate threat nearby.
Female pandas almost always give birth to twins, after a pregnancy of 150 days, about five months. The cubs are born blind and helpless. The mother is not strong enough to look after or feed two cubs at the same time, which means one of the twins often doesn't survive. However, cubs born in captivity do better, because human caretakers can look after the second cub.
Though female pandas give birth to two offspring, in the wild usually only one of them survives. The cubs weigh 142 grams at birth and do not crawl until they are at least 3 months old. Until then, they huddle against their mother's chest for warmth. Cubs are born completely white, and only after a few months does the black fur begin to appear. Panda cubs remain with their mother from 1½ to 3 years, a minimum of 2½ to 3 years. The reproduction cycle is slow among pandas, females may choose to mate only 2-4 years after their first or a later delivery.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Chinese name for panda mean?
Da Xiong Mao ('giant bear cat') because pandas have cat-like vertical-slit pupils. Its scientific name, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, means 'black and white cat-foot'.
How much bamboo does a giant panda eat per day?
An average adult panda needs at least 20 kg of bamboo each day, eating for about 12 hours out of every 24.
Why don't pandas hibernate?
Bamboo is available year-round, and their bamboo diet doesn't store enough energy to fuel a winter-long hibernation.
How much does a newborn panda weigh?
About 142 grams (5 ounces), tiny compared to its mother's 220 lbs.
How many giant pandas are left in the wild?
The 2014 WWF census counted approximately 1,864 giant pandas in the wild, with about 100 more in captivity.
Is the red panda related to the giant panda?
No. The red panda belongs to its own family, Ailuridae, and shares no genetic characteristics with the giant panda. It lives in the Himalayan forests of Asia.
Baby Panda Growth Cycle
Newborn Panda
An average adult female weighs about 220 lbs, or 99.79 kg (3,250 ounces). Astonishingly, a newborn panda cub weighs only around 142 grams, or 5 ounces at birth, depending on how well-nourished the mother was during pregnancy. The baby cub is born completely pink with very sparse, fine white hair. It is approximately 6 inches long and has a rather long tail at birth. The cubs are born with their eyes shut and cannot survive without their mother or human supervision in captivity. The moment the cub is born, the mother licks it to clean it and to stimulate urination and defecation, a process that is crucial for the newborn cub's survival. The cub has no teeth and will need to feed on fat-rich panda milk for the next 9-10 months. It will cry from birth until it is fed or kept safe by its mother.
1st Week
During the first week, the baby panda's hair begins to darken around the eyes, ears, neck, and lower body. The baby still hasn't opened its eyes and spends most of its time feeding or sleeping in its mother's arms.
1st Month
In exactly one month from birth, the cub will gain 6 more inches and be 12 inches long. It will have gained 24 ounces and weigh around 1.80 pounds. The cub feeds 6-8 times a day on its mother's high-fat milk. The eyes partly open after a month; it takes another 7-10 days for them to open completely. The cub's cries reduce considerably after the end of the first month.
2nd Month
The baby panda is fed milk only 3-4 times a day as the mother prepares it for bamboo. The cub's nails begin to emerge and are quite sharp. It can barely crawl, as its limbs are still very weak. The mother begins keeping the cub at a greater distance so it can get used to depending on its own body heat.
3rd, 4th Month
In its third month, the cub will become 21 inches long and weigh about 6.5-7 pounds. Its milk teeth begin to emerge and it starts crawling and using its limb muscles more. By the beginning of the fourth month, the cub can lift its upper body and stand on its hind legs, though it still cannot walk more than a few steps. Feeding drops to only 2 times a day.
5th, 8th Month
The cub begins to walk, climb, and roll around near its mother and the den. It starts climbing small, short tree branches, emulating its mother, who supervises and teaches different climbing techniques. The cub continues to feed on its mother's milk twice a day.
9th, 12th Month
The cub begins feeding on soft bamboo shoots, exercising its teeth for chewing. Within 12 months the cub's milk teeth shed to make way for permanent ones. It is still fed milk once a day. The cub can now scale bigger trees and slender branches without much difficulty. The mother begins staying at a distance more often so the cub learns to live independently. It also learns to find its own food and pick its own bamboo, foraging near its mother but feeding on different bunches of shoots.
Various Panda Bear Species
There are two sub-species of the giant panda. Both are named after the regions where they live. The Qinling mountain range, in Shaanxi province, is home to the Qinling Panda. The Sichuan Pandas are found in scattered areas within Sichuan, Gansu, and Shaanxi provinces.
The third animal sometimes called a panda is the red panda, though it does not share any genetic characteristics with the giant panda. In fact, it is not a panda at all. It belongs to the Ailuridae family, a rare group of animals found in the temperate forests of Asia. Red pandas live in the dense forests of the Himalayas and some parts of India, including Nepal, Bhutan, China, and parts of Myanmar.
The red panda is a very shy and small animal, comparable to an average house cat or raccoon. It has red fur and a very long bushy tail. It weighs around 3 to 6 kg and is nocturnal in nature. Its body is built for tree life, as you can see in our look at red panda adaptations.
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Other Riveting Facts
Pandas rely on a type of memory called spatial memory, they remember where things are, rather than using their eyes to recognize familiar objects. This helps them find their bamboo patches in a dense, misty forest.
Pandas are considered to be the most gentle of the bear family. They have often been described as helping troubled people in the jungle. The pandas are always found in groups.
A strange fact recorded in older sources is that pandas smell through their ears and hear through their nose, though modern scientists treat this as folklore. Also recorded is the claim that due to the high content of iron in their liver, pandas have a slight magnetic force, causing them to head towards north when blindfolded.
The logo of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) features a giant panda on it.
It is sad to know that such an amazing creation of God is on the verge of extinction. Man is the main enemy of the giant panda, with them still being hunted for their pelts. The world's most beloved bear is also one of the world's most endangered species, its population is just a few hundred in the wild, and those that survive do so largely thanks to human conservation efforts, even though it was humans who hunted them for their fur and for supposed medicinal properties in the first place. Yet, ironically, they are regarded as a symbol of peace in their homeland, China, a nation that has invested enormous conservation effort to protect its most iconic bear alongside other endangered mammals worldwide.
Fun fact for today!Pandas can eat for up to 16 hours a day, yet bamboo is so low in nutrition they barely gain weight!