At first sight the giant panda is a paradox. Classified as carnivores it persists in acting like herbivores, feeding almost exclusively on plant material. It has been described as an 'obligate grazer' on bamboo, meaning that it is obliged to eat bamboo and cannot survive without it. More than 99 per cent of the food the giant panda consumes consists of bamboo.
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| A giant panda eating bamboo |