Giant Panda - Ailuropoda melanoleuca

In a bamboo forest, on a small mountain range in China lives one of the most recognizable animals in the world... The Giant Panda. The black eye patches, black ears, and black and white body are forever carved into our hearts. Although brought back from the brink of extinction, there are still only about 2-3 thousand of these peaceful giants left in the wild (range shown below).

Giant Panda Range

Since the Panda feeds almost solely on bamboo, there are a few characteristics which they have adapted to aid with their unusual diet (for a bear). The first is an amazing front paw structure which allows them to grip the bamboo while they eat it; they have 1 thumb as well as 5 extra fingers. That's 6 digits in total! (see http://www.daylightatheism.org/images/PandasThumb.jpg for example). They also have very large molar teeth meant for crushing and chewing the tough plants. Their canines are also shortened compared to other bears since they no longer really need them. Not only do they "not need them," the shortened canines let the jaws close fully and the grinding and chewing becomes much easier.

As for the cubs, they start out weighing about 3.9 ounces and as an adult will be about 800 times that size. The cub is born without fur, which takes about a month to grow in fully. They also survive only on their mother's milk for the first 6 months, after that their teeth are good enough to start eating small amounts of bamboo. They stay with their mom's for about 18 months  to 2 years, after that they are on their own. And as with most species on earth, the male does not help raise the young.

Once they become adults, a typical panda weighs between 280-330 lbs, and is about 5 feet in length. Their patchy black and white bodies are thought to be for a sort of "camouflage in the winter months on the snow patched hills. However, this is also a hazard in the summer months as they are easily noticed by illegal hunters and then killed for their beautiful fur. To help protect them from dangers they also have an amazing sense of smell and hearing. Interestingly enough, Pandas rely more on spatial memory rather than visual memory.

Fun Facts:

• Although 99% of their diet is bamboo, the Giant Panda is still classified under Carnivora (carnivores) because they are classified as part of the Bear family.In the wild they might actually feed on birds and rodents, as well as a bit of scavenging.
• The Panda has the second longest tail in the bear family. Only the sloth bear beats it.
• Unlike other bears, Pandas do not hibernate and have an adapted fur coat for the cold months. This is also the reason they do not have permanent dens.
• Pandas are still classified as an Endangered species because their population numbers are not yet stable.

**This post was made for Candice.