Diet

Pandas eat bamboo. Since giant pandas have the digestive system of a carnivore, they do not have the ability to digest cellulose (plant matter) efficiently and thus derive little energy and little protein from consumption of bamboo. So, the average giant panda has to eat as much as 20 to 45 lbs (9-20 kg) of bamboo shoots a day. On occasion, giant pandas are also known to eat flowers, vines, tufted grasses, green corn, honey and rodents

Population Did You Know?

The panda's scientific name, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, literally means "cat-foot black-and-white." Today, an estimated 2,000 pandas are found in the wild. By the end of 2006, there were a reported 180 pandas in captivity on mainland China and about 20 in other countries.

Range
Historically pandas lived in both mountainous and lowland regions of central-western and southwestern China. They are now found only in the mountains of central China, in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces

Behavior
Giant pandas are found mostly in thick bamboo and coniferous forests (evergreens with seed cones) at 8,500 to 11,500 feet in elevation. They are generally solitary animals that spend most of their days feeding. However, they do communicate with each other once in a while through scent markings, calls and occasional meetings. Unlike other bears, giant pandas do not hibernate. In the winter, they move to lower elevations to keep warm, while traveling to higher elevations in the summer to stay cool. They can be active at any time of the day or night. Pandas do not have permanent homes but sleep at the bottom of trees under stumps and rock ledges. Reproduction Mating Season: March-May. Gestation: 3-5 months. Litter size: 1-2 cubs. Cubs are born blind and helpless and if there are twins, only one cub survives. The cub's eyes open at six to eight weeks and it starts to move around at three months. Weaned at six months, the cub becomes independent after a year. They may, however, stay with their mothers for up to three years before they strike out on their own.

Climate Change and Other Threats

The most serious threat to the panda is loss of habitat. Already confined to small remote areas in the mountains of China, much of their natural lowland habitat has been destroyed by farmers, development and

forest clearing, forcing them further upland and reducing and fragmenting their habitat. This fragmentation of habitat is detrimental to the pandas ability to find food. Because they can consume up to 45 pounds of bamboo in a day, it is sometimes necessary for pandas to travel to a new location once the bamboo supply of an area is depleted. However, the fragmentation of their range by humans can make finding new food difficult. Any climate changes that alter the natural range of bamboo species will make these remaining islands of habitat even more precarious.

Reasons For Hope Did You Know?

Pandas have evolved special features to help them eat their favorite food: strong jaws, large molars, and a "thumb" that helps them hold the bamboo while they eat! The panda has become one of the most recognizable animals in the world and loved for its playful nature and unique coloring. For a long time very little was known about pandas in the wild but as technology becomes more advanced, researchers are able to learn more about pandas in their natural environment. This will help conservationists better understand what help is most necessary for the pandas continued survival. As pandas are what is known as a conservation reliant species, more than 160 pandas are located in zoos or breeding centers around the world in an effort to breed them and bolster their numbers.