Panda Bear

The Panda Bear only recently was classified in the bear family. The specific lifestyle and unique looks of these animals for many years were popular questions under discussion. Like other bears, Giant Pandas have a massive body and legs, large head, rounded ears and a short tail. Unlike other bears, Pandas cannot stand on their hind legs, don’t hibernate, and move slowly when on the ground. The characteristic feature of the Giant Panda is its white coat with black patches around the eyes, on the chest and all around the body.

The Panda Bear belongs to the order Carnivora, but its diet consists mainly of bamboo stems, shoots, and leaves. Like in all carnivores, the digestive system of Pandas cannot efficiently digest cellulose, that’s why Pandas have to spend much time in the trees searching for food and consuming it. They have to keep their digestive tract full and eat large amounts of bamboo to derive enough energy. The common daily ratio of an adult Giant Panda is 20 to 30 pounds of fresh bamboo. As bamboo is available throughout the year in the mountains of China, Pandas don’t have to hibernate, like most bears.

Twenty-five bamboo species are suited for the Panda Bear. To thrive on the bamboo diet, Giant Pandas have several adaptations. Their jaws are powerful; the molar teeth are large to grind a rough plant material. Besides bamboo, Pandas are able to eat fish, meat, and eggs when available. At the high altitudes, only a few species of bamboo are widespread. Bamboo harvesting and timber production had destroyed much of the Panda Bear food, which led to critical decrease in Giant Panda population in the 1970s and 1980s.

The present-day habitat of the Panda Bear includes mountainous regions in Tibet and in the Chinese provinces Sichuan, Gansu, and Shaanxi. Since the latter half of the 20th century, Giant Pandas are considered to be a symbol of China. A non-aggressive image of these animals has made them a symbol of peace. Effective conservation measures that saved Giant Pandas from the extinction have made them a symbol of wild species conservation. Although Panda Bear is still endangered, it lives and reproduces in captivity.