The Giant Panda is a species of bear that is found in the mountains of central and western China. One of the most famous and easily identifiable animals in the world, the Giant Panda is also one of the rarest and is under immense threat in its natural environment, primarily from habitat loss. The Giant Panda is unique among bears as they do not hibernate, have very small babies at birth and survive on a diet that is almost entirely vegetarian. Since the Giant Panda was first discovered by a French naturalist in 1869, it has become a global symbol for conservation with the World Wildlife Fund using it as their logo. The Chinese people also see the Giant Panda as a symbol of peace and numerous efforts have been made to try and protect the remaining populations in their native habitats.
Classification
Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Mammalia
Order : Carnivora
Family : Ursidae
Genus : Ailuropoda
Species : A. melanoeuca
Giant Panda Bear Anatomy and Appearance
Large males may attain 1.8 metres (6 feet) in length and weigh more than 100 kg (220 pounds); females are usually smaller. Round black ears and black eye patches stand out against a white face and neck. Black limbs, tail, legs, and shoulders contrast with the white torso. The rear paws point inward, which gives pandas a waddling gait. Pandas can easily stand on their hind legs and are commonly observed somersaulting, rolling, and dust-bathing. Although somewhat awkwars as climbers, pandas readily ascend trees and on the basis of their resemblance to bears, are probably capable of swimming. An unsusual anatomic characteristic is an enlarged wrist bone that funtions somewhat like a thumb, enabling pandas to handle food with considerable dexterity.
Giant Panda Habitat
The Giant Panda would have been found throughout the lowlands of the Yangtze River Basin but increased Human activity in these areas has pushed the Giant Pandas high up into the mountains. Remote populations are still found in six different mountain ranges in central and western China, where they inhabit broadleaf and coniferous forests with a thick bamboo under-storey at elevations between 5,000 and 13,000 feet. These high-altitude forests are cool, cloudy and moist and are generally subjected to a high level of rainfall. It is thought that the unique colouration of the Giant Panda may help them to blend into these misty forests when they are foraging for food. It is however, the loss of these habitats to deforestation that is the biggest threat to the Giant Panda today as they rely almost solely on bamboo to survive.
Giant Panda Life Cycles
Giant Pandas breed between March and May when the female begins to indicate her want to mate by making a series of groans and bleats to attract a male. After a gestation period that lasts for around five months, the female Giant Panda gives birth to one or two cubs in the base of a hollow tree or cave. Panda Bear cubs are very underdeveloped at birth measuring as little as 15cm and weighing only 100g, they are made even more vulnerable by the fact that they are also blind and hairless and don't begin to crawl until they are nearly three months old. Even if a female gives birth to twins she can only care for one that rides on her back until it is 6 months old and is then able to precariously trot beside her. Panda Bear cubs are weaned when they are around a year old but don't leave their mother until they are 18 months old. Some cubs may stay with their mother for a few years until she becomes pregnant again and they leave to establish a territory of their own.
Facts!
The Giant Panda has always fascinated people and therefore goes by a number of different names with its scientific name meaning "cat-foot black and white" and its Chinese name translates literally to "Giant Bear Cat", as the Giant Panda has slits for pupils in their eyes much like a cat. They are also known as the Bamboo Bear by locals due to the enormous amount that they consume. Giant Panda cubs are so small at birth that they weigh about the same as an average mouse and at 100g are roughly 0.001% of their mother's weight. In the Qinling Mountains in China's Shaanxi Province, a small population of brown and white Giant Pandas can be found existing amongst the standard black and white ones. Giant Pandas communicate between one another using a series of calls, with 11 different Giant Panda noises having been identified.
The Giant Panda has been admired by people for hundreds of years but more for their beautiful black and white pelts in the past. Since their discovery by the western world and the realisation of their rareness in the wild, Giant Pandas have become one of the most well-known of the world's large animals with increasing projects and efforts being put in place to try and save them from extinction. They have however been drastically affected by increasing Human activity in their native habitats which has ultimately led to vast population declines and the isolation of the remaining populations. Despite their seemingly cuddly appearance though, the Giant Panda is a species of bear and although attacks on Humans are rare, it is not unheard of for harm to be caused to people (particularly those who attempt to enter captive enclosures).
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