Giant panda

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Giant panda at the Ocean Park Hong Kong

Conservation status

Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)[1]

CITES Appendix I (CITES)[1]

Scientific classification

Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Family: Ursidae

Genus: Ailuropoda INFOGRAFIS

Species: A. melanoleuca

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Binomial name

Ailuropoda melanoleuca

David, 1869[2]

Subspecies

• A. m. melanoleuca
• A. m. qinlingensis
 Giant panda range

MAIN IDEA =>

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), also known as

the panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. It is
characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name
"giant panda" is sometimes used to distinguish it from the red panda, a
neighboring musteloid. Adult individuals average 100 to 115 kg (220 to
254 lb), and are typically 1.2 to 1.9 m (3 ft 11 in to 6 ft 3 in) long. The species
is sexually dimorphic, as males are typically 10 to 20% larger. The fur is white,
with black patches around the eyes, ears, legs and shoulders. A thumb is
visible on the bear's forepaw, which helps in holding bamboo in place for
feeding. Giant pandas have adapted larger molars and expanded temporal
fossa to meet their dietary requirements.

SUPPORTING IDEA =>

Giant pandas are only found in six mountains in a few provinces. They
are also found in elevations of up to 3,000 m (9,800 ft). Its diet consists
almost entirely of bamboo, making the bear mostly herbivorous, despite
being classified in the order Carnivora. The shoot is important to bears, as it
contains starch and is 32% protein, hence pandas evolved the ability to
effectively digest starch. They are solitary, only gathering in times of mating.
Females rear cubs for an average of 18 to 24 months. Potential predators of
sub-adult pandas could be the leopard. Giant pandas heavily rely
on olfactory communication to communicate with one another; scent
marks are used to chemical cues and on landmarks like rocks or trees. Giant
pandas live long lives, with the oldest dying at 38.

As a result of farming, deforestation, and other development, the giant

panda has been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived, and it
is a conservation-reliant vulnerable species. A 2007 report showed 239
pandas living in captivity inside China and another 27 outside the country.
Some reports also show that the number of giant pandas in the wild is on
the rise. By March 2015, the wild giant panda population had increased to
1,864 individuals. In 2016, it was reclassified on the IUCN Red List from
"endangered" to "vulnerable", affirming decade-long efforts to save the
panda. In July 2021, Chinese authorities also reclassified the giant panda as
vulnerable. The giant panda has often served as China's national symbol,
appeared on Chinese Gold Panda coins since 1982 and as one of the
five Fuwa mascots of the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing.