With it's distinctive black-and-white fur and bold eye markings, the giant panda is instantly recognizable.
Known for it's bear-like shape, it has become a symbol of wildlife conservation. Here are some fascinating facts about pandas.
1. Bamboo Makes Up 99% of a Panda’s Diet
The giant panda primarily feeds on bamboo, with almost all of it's diet consisting of bamboo shoots and leaves. Though they are technically herbivores, their digestive system resembles that of carnivores. Occasionally, pandas may consume other plants, such as pumpkins and kidney beans, or even small animals like eggs and fish.
2. Panda Spend 12 Hours a Day Eating
Due to bamboo’s low nutritional value, pandas must eat vast amounts—up to 15% of their body weight daily. This means panda spend about 12 hours each day consuming bamboo to meet their energy needs, as their digestive system can only absorb about 17% of the dry matter from bamboo.
3. Panda Defecate Over 100 Times a Day
Given their high bamboo intake roughly 12.5 kg per day—pandas often defecate frequently throughout the day. A balanced bamboo diet is crucial for their survival, if they can’t access two different types of bamboo, they risk starvation. Bamboo scarcity poses a significant threat to the panda population.
4. Mature Panda Weigh Up to 125 Kilograms
While giant male pandas can weigh between 85 and 125 kg, females typically weigh between 70 and 100 kg. At birth, however, panda cubs are tiny, weighing just 85 to 140 grams.
5. Panda Have Pseudo-Thumbs
Panda possess a unique adaptation a pseudo-thumb which is an elongated wrist bones that helps them grip bamboo and other food. This extra digit also enhances their climbing and swimming abilities, with some pandas having been recorded climbing as high as 13,000 feet.
6. Panda Communicate with Scent Marking
Panda use scent-marking as a form of communication. They mark trees or other high spots by urinating, often doing a handstand to leave their scent higher up. This helps them locate and leave signals for other panda in the area.
7. Panda Don’t Hibernate
Unlike many other bear species, giant panda do not hibernate. They remain active throughout the year and are solitary animals, coming together only during the breeding season March to May. During this time, females may retreat into caves or trees to give birth and care for their young.
8. Panda Are National Treasures in China
Regarded as a symbol of China, the giant panda is considered a national treasure. Native to a few mountainous regions in central China, panda are often given as diplomatic gifts on long-term loans to other countries as part of cultural exchange programs.
9. Habitat Loss is the Biggest Threat to Panda
Human activities, such as road construction, dam-building, and mining, have significantly reduced panda habitats. These activities have led to isolated populations, with pandas now living only in a few areas of Sichuan, Gansu, and Shaanxi provinces. Habitat loss remains a key threat to their survival.
10. Giant Panda Are No Longer Critically Endangered
Once on the brink of extinction, the giant panda has seen a resurgence thanks to significant conservation efforts in China. The panda population has risen to about 1,800 in the wild, and the species was downgraded from critically endangered to vulnerable by the IUCN. However, climate change still poses a threat to their bamboo habitats, with potential losses ranging from 37% to 100% by the end of the century.
10 Rare Known Facts about Pandas
The video by Its Paw
