Giant Panda Bear Diet and Preyĭespite being classified as a carnivorous animal (not to mention a species of bear), the Giant Panda eats almost exclusively bamboo in the forest surrounding it.
Some cubs may stay with their mother for a few years until she becomes pregnant again and they leave to establish a territory of their own. Panda Bear cubs are weaned when they are around a year old but don’t leave their mother until they are 18 months old. Even if a female gives birth to twins she can only care for one that rides on her back until it is 6 months old and is then able to precariously trot beside her. Panda Bear cubs are very underdeveloped at birth measuring as little as 15cm and weighing only 100g, they are made even more vulnerable by the fact that they are also blind and hairless and don’t begin to crawl until they are nearly three months old. After a gestation period that lasts for around five months, the female Giant Panda gives birth to one or two cubs in the base of a hollow tree or cave.
#PANDA BEAR SERIES#
Giant Pandas breed between March and May when the female begins to indicate her want to mate by making a series of groans and bleats to attract a male. Giant Panda Bear Reproduction and Life Cycles Even though the Giant Panda appears to spend its whole day either eating or sleeping, they are also known to be good at climbing trees and can even swim well when needed. Giant Pandas therefore dedicate between 12 and 15 hours a day to munching bamboo which they do by sitting down, allowing their front paws to grip onto the plants. As bamboo is not particularly nutritious, the Giant Panda must eat lots of bamboo every day and can consume up to 30kg of bamboo leaves, shoots and stems which is roughly 40% of its body weight. Male Giant Pandas roam home ranges more than double the size of a female’s, with his territory overlapping those of several female Giant Pandas with which he holds breeding rights. The Giant Panda is a solitary animal that occupies a territory marked with secretions from scent glands and scratch marks on trees. It is however, the loss of these habitats to deforestation that is the biggest threat to the Giant Panda today as they rely almost solely on bamboo to survive. It is thought that the unique colouration of the Giant Panda may help them to blend into these misty forests when they are foraging for food. These high-altitude forests are cool, cloudy and moist and are generally subjected to a high level of rainfall.
Remote populations are still found in six different mountain ranges in central and western China, where they inhabit broadleaf and coniferous forests with a thick bamboo under-storey at elevations between 5,000 and 13,000 feet. Historically, the Giant Panda would have been found throughout the lowlands of the Yangtze River Basin but increased Human activity in these areas has pushed the Giant Pandas high up into the mountains. Giant Panda Bear Distribution and Habitat They also have large jaws with strong jaw muscles that along with their flat molars, allow the Giant Panda to crush bamboo stems and leaves in order to extract the nutrients. The Giant Panda eats almost only bamboo and so has a number of physical adaptations to help with its consumption including an extension of their wrist bone which acts a bit like a thumb, allowing the Giant Panda to grip onto bamboo stems. The thick fur of the Giant Panda is creamy-white in colour with large patches of black on the limbs, shoulders, ears and nose, and distinctive black patches around their small eyes. The Giant Panda is a medium to large sized bear that like other species has a large head, short tail and a long muzzle with a large nose, which gives them an excellent sense of smell.
The Chinese people also see the Giant Panda as a symbol of peace and numerous efforts have been made to try and protect the remaining populations in their native habitats. Since the Giant Panda was first discovered by a French naturalist in 1869, it has become a global symbol for conservation with the World Wildlife Fund using it as their logo. The Giant Panda is unique among bears as they do not hibernate, have very small babies at birth and survive on a diet that is almost entirely vegetarian. One of the most famous and easily identifiable animals in the world, the Giant Panda is also one of the rarest and is under immense threat in its natural environment, primarily from habitat loss. The Giant Panda is a species of bear that is found in the mountains of central and western China. Giant Panda Bear Classification and Evolution