Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca): A bear native to south-central China
It is considered a national treasure of China and protected by law in its home bamboo forest
AKA: panda bear or panda
Scientists have long debated whether pandas are a type of bear, raccoon, or all of them
By studying DNA, scientists have confirmed that pandas are related to bears
Giant pandas are similar to other bears in general appearance, the way they walk and climb, their distinctive skulls, social system and reproductive biology, according to the San Diego Zoo
A newborn panda is about the size of a stick of butter, about 3 to 5 ounces, which is about 1/900 the size of its mother
Female pandas can grow to about 200 pounds, while males can grow to about 300 pounds as adults
Pandas are known for their round bodies and large black eyes
They are known by black and white paint
Each panda’s features are unique and slightly different from another panda
Scientists are not sure of the reasoning behind the paint, but suspect it may be used as camouflage or to find a mate
Not all pandas are black and white, there is also a rare brown and white variation of the giant panda
A panda’s diet is almost entirely fermented
They eat the leaves, stems and shoots of various species of bamboo
They eat bamboo at least 12 hours a day
Pandas occasionally rise, with about 1% of their diet comprising other plants – and even meat
If they arise, they have been known to eat herbs, bulbs, fruit, other insects, even rodents and carrion
Pandas live in temperate forests, mainly in the mountains of southern China
China’s Yangtze Basin region holds the panda’s primary habitat
Pandas spend most of the day eating and sleeping like other bears
Wild pandas are solitary creatures and are protective of their space
Their territorial behavior is due to their reliance on the large resources of bamboo for their survival
The only exception to this behavior is the very short mating time of mothers with cubs
Pandas have a slow reproductive rate
Mature females usually give birth once every two or three years, and a typical female panda will carry about five litters in her lifetime
The average female panda’s pregnancy is about 135 days, but the actual delivery of the fetus only takes about 50 days
The female will give birth to one or two cubs, which weigh only three to five ounces at birth
Females reach sexual maturity between four and five years of age, while males reach it around six to seven years of age
Pandas can live 14 to 20 years in the wild and up to 30 years in managed care
Habitat loss and hunting are the biggest threats to pandas
Infrastructure development is increasingly dispersing and dispersing panda populations, preventing pandas from finding new bamboo forests and potential mates
While the Chinese government has established more than 50 panda reserves, only 67% of wild pandas live in these reserves, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
Hunting is another threat to pandas
While poaching has declined in recent years, largely due to the enactment of the Wildlife Protection Act in 1988, pandas can be caught in trap traps
Low reproduction rates and a shortage of bamboo are among other threats to the panda population
Tigers are generally not found in the remaining panda habitats, and leopards are found in reduced numbers
There are about 1,864 in the wild, according to the WWF
Conservation Efforts:
In China, panda conservation efforts began in 1957
In 1989, the Chinese Ministry of Forestry and WWF published a management plan for the panda and its habitat
This is called for reducing human activities in the panda habitat, managing the bamboo habitat, expanding the panda reserve system and conserving the captive panda population
WWF continues to work with China’s National Conservation Program to conserve the giant panda
The panda reserve program now covers more than 38 million acres of forest
China has also set up 65 panda reserves that protect areas from further panda development
He continues to make his way to China as a panda and his home
The government has sanctioned policies such as the “Grain-to-Green” program that has helped the nation gain forest cover
But it is still uncertain if this land is suitable for the recently wild pandas
The San Diego Zoo is another organization that works to conserve pandas
In the 1990s, scientists doubted whether they could save pandas from extinction
There is not much research on their behavior in the wild, and they do not report well in zoos
San Diego Zoo Global partners with Chinese colleagues to create conservation war
They developed early pregnancy detection tests and milk formula for panda cubs, which raised survival rates from zero to 100 percent
By 2010, there were three hundred pandas in zoos around the world and breeding centers in China
Adopt a panda: Make a symbolic panda adoption to support WWF’s conservation efforts
Donate: Conservation groups like the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservation can use your help in their efforts
Source: WWF and San Diego Zoo