Giant panda

Baby Pandas

Quinlingpandabearr

Recherches pour servir à l'histoire naturelle des mammifères (Pl. 50) (white background)

Spectacled bear (1829)

Ursus arctos - 1700-1880 - Print - Iconographia Zoologica - Special Collections University of Amsterdam - (white background)

Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), also known simply as the panda, is a bear species native to south central China. It is easily recognized by the large, distinctive black patches around its eyes, over the ears, and across its round body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes used to distinguish it from the unrelated red panda. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the giant panda's diet is over 99% bamboo. Pandas in the wild will occasionally eat other grasses, wild tubers, or even meat in the form of birds, rodents, or carrion. In captivity, they may receive honey, eggs, fish, yams, shrub leaves, oranges, or bananas along with specially prepared food.

Description

The giant panda has a body shape typical of bears. It has black fur on its ears, eye patches, muzzle, legs, and shoulders, with the rest of its coat being white. Despite its stocky build and short tail, its face is rounded and characterized by large, expressive eyes. Adult males can weigh up to 160 kg (350 lb). Females are generally smaller than males and can weigh as little as 70 kg (150 lb), but more commonly around 100 kg (220 lb).

Habitat and Distribution

Giant pandas live in a few mountain ranges in central China, mostly in Sichuan, but also in neighbouring Shaanxi and Gansu. Due to farming, deforestation, and other development, the giant panda has been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived.

Behavior

Giant pandas are solitary animals, with adults rarely seen together outside of the breeding season. They are territorial and communicate through vocalization and scent marking such as clawing trees or spraying urine. They are most active during the dawn and dusk (crepuscular), spending the rest of their day resting and foraging.

Diet

Although classified as a carnivore, the giant panda's diet is primarily herbivorous, consisting almost exclusively of bamboo. Pandas will eat 12-38 kg of bamboo a day, depending on what part of the bamboo they are eating. They are able to digest cellulose thanks to a modified wrist bone that acts as a sixth digit, functioning similarly to a thumb, and a gut microbiome adapted to their diet.

Reproduction

Female pandas are in estrus for 2 to 3 days once a year in the spring. Mating can be difficult in captivity, leading to artificial insemination practices in zoos. Gestation lasts from 95 to 160 days, and cubs weigh only 90 to 130 grams at birth. Cubs do not open their eyes until they are six to eight weeks of age and are not weaned until nine months old. A female panda may raise successfully only five to eight cubs in her lifetime.

Conservation Status

The giant panda was once on the brink of extinction, but thanks to vigorous conservation efforts, including the establishment of over 50 panda reserves in China, its status has been improved. As of the latest assessment, the giant panda is classified as "Vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The population in the wild is estimated to be around 1,864 individuals.

Cultural Significance

The giant panda is an iconic symbol of China and is featured in many Chinese cultural emblems. It has also served as the logo of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) since its foundation in 1961, representing wildlife conservation efforts worldwide.