| Panda, Giant | |||
| Genus | Ailuropoda | ||
| Species | melanoleuca | ||
| Status | Endangered | ||
| Number Left | fewer than 1,000 in China; fewer than 100 in captivity | ||
| Habitat | Mountains | ||
| Distribution | Central China | ||
| Length | 5-6 feet (1.5-1.8 meters) | ||
| Weight | 165-353 pounds (75-160 kg) | ||
| Behavior | The panda spends most of its day searching out and eating bamboo. Pandas are quiet animals who like to live alone, except for mating pairs and females with young. Pandas seek out one another to breed. | ||
| Diet | bamboo | ||
| Feeding |
Pandas rely on bamboo for 99% of their diet. (Most bears rely on plants for at least 75% of their diet). Pandas spend 10-12 hours a day feeding, and during this time they consume 23-36 pounds of bamboo roots, shoots and leaves.
The panda has a special thumblike bone on each front paw to help it grab bamboo shoots. The panda depends entirely on about twenty different types of bamboo for its food. The bamboo plant is a type of grass that lives for one hundred years and dies. Pandas must constantly move on, or they will starve before new bamboo thickets grow. | ||
| Communication | Pandas will make growls, honks, and chirps to attract mates. Their cry is almost similar to the cry of a human baby. | ||
| Breeding | Mother pandas will give birth to one kitten-sized cub. The babies are totally dependent on their mothers. It will be three months before they can crawl and four months before they are weaned. Baby pandas will stay with their mothers for at least a year and a half. | ||
| Conservation | In the past, when one type of bamboo died off, the pandas would move on to another area. Now, however, farms and towns often separate pandas from new food areas. Pandas do not often cross populated areas because they do not like people. When bamboo in an isolated area dies, the pandas die, too. The Chinese government has begun to set up "panda corridors," which are special paths that connect bamboo forests together. This way, pandas won't be stranded and will be ensured of a food supply. Pandas have also been hunted for their black-and-white fur. There are twelve panda parks in China, but poaching is still a problem. | ||
| Interesting Facts | Pandas do not breed well in zoos, which is another reason that these beautiful, exotic animals are so rare. Some people think the panda belongs to the raccoon family, but many scientists today think the panda is more bearlike. | ||
| Images and Video Clips | |||
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| Animal Communication Panel | |||
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