We all love the black, and white fluff balls called pandas, right? So we’ll talk a little about them, shall we?
China is the birthplace of the adorable panda bears. Are the giant pandas and panda bears the same?
Yes. You have got that correct!
Do you know why they are called giant pandas?
No, it’s not just because of their size. Haha. It’s to differentiate between them and red pandas.
So, there are red pandas too?
Absolutely. What’s the difference?
Red pandas have brown fur with a reddish hue, while panda bears have black and white coats. Fascinating right?
Here’s a question for you.
Do you know the scientific name of giant pandas?
Hm, you don’t know? It is Ailuropoda melanoleuca. Grabbing as much knowledge as possible is not a waste at all!
We now know Pandas are native to China, right.
So where in China can you find these fluffballs?
Panda bears live in caves of mountain ranges in Gansu, Sichuan, and Shaanxi.
Now we know where they live, we’ll discuss their size, okay?
How long are they?
Do they weigh a lot?
We are here to answer you. It varies, but usually, they are about 1.2 meters long. About 1.9 meters is the longest. These cuties sure do weigh a lot.
Can you guess the average weight of a panda?
Give it a try.
Is your answer about 100-115 kilograms? Then, my friend, you have guessed right.
Good job.
Should we talk more about the body?
As you wish.
Pandas have black fur in which parts of their bodies?
Ears? Right. Shoulders? Mmhm. Arms and legs? Yes, and where else? Eye patches. Very good, you sure do know about these adorable giants. Want to know a secret about panda eye patches? This is going to be our little secret, alright?
These eye patches help pandas to recognize one another! For a panda, its fur is vital in different aspects. The white coat allows them to hide well in snow. What does the black fur do? They, too, help in camouflaging, but in the shade. Doesn’t the thick coat do anything else? Of course, it does. Panda’s thick fur allows it to be warm and comfortable in the harsh cold.
Did you know these endearing creatures have six fingers in each of their paws?
Those fingers help our darling pandas to hold their favorite food.
What do pandas eat? What is their favorite food?
Let’s find out, shall we?
“Bears are carnivores, so of course, panda bears also eat meat a lot.” That’s where you went, wrong deary. A panda’s diet is mainly plant-based. Surprising right? Pandas love to eat bamboo shoots to such an extent that it is almost what they eat every day.
Will you believe that an average panda eats about 9-14 kilograms of bamboo shoots daily?
But since pandas do have carnivore genes, their herbivorous diet gives them very little energy. You guessed right. Their diet does affect their behavior. They act in a lazy manner because of this. That is because these darling creatures eat a lot, they poop a lot too.
Here’s an interesting question for you.
How many times does a panda poop per day? 30? 20?
Nope, they poop forty times a day. Since we are talking about feces, here’s another interesting fact for you. Due to a condition in their intestines, pandas need bacteria from their mother’s feces to digest their vegetarian food. Anyways, moving back to the panda diet, pandas can also eat fish, meat, and eggs if it’s accessible. And No, it’s not only bamboo shoots they eat. Pandas also eat bamboo leaves. Female pandas especially eat bamboo leaves as a source of calcium in the breeding season.
What should we talk about next? Panda behavior?
Your wish is our command. Did you know that although these animals roam around, they are highly territorial?
We were even surprised.
Pandas who prefer to be alone converse through sounds. Just like wolves, pandas too scent mark. These cute giants also urinate and claw on things they want to mark as their own. Also, they don’t have permanent dens because they roam around a lot. Unlike other bears, pandas do not go into hibernation. Here’s a fact to keep in mind, though.
Never irritate a panda. “Why?
They look so pliant.
They won’t do anything.” You are very, very wrong if you think so.
Yes, they are not aggressive. But, Pandas have a history of attacking humans when irritated.
Female pandas give birth to their babies every two years. Sometimes these babies are twins. But in the wild, unfortunately, only one baby survives most of the time. A baby panda feeds from the mother about 14 times a day. These babies are often in danger because of predators like eagles and snow leopards. Did you know a male panda will leave the female after mating?
The female panda has to care for the young alone. Pandas only live for 20 years in the wild. They can survive for about 30 years in captivity. There are only 1864 pandas left in the wild. There are approximately 400 pandas in captivity. Pandas are a vulnerable species today. We all know female pandas only give birth every two years. But it is not the sole reason for their vulnerability. Females can be bred only a few days throughout the entire year. The most number of cubs she can give birth to at a time is two. The world will be such a sad place without pandas, right?
Winding up…
Chengdu, a research center based in China, understood just that. They made a daycare center for pandas!
Pandas here get all the love, care, and treatment here. The research center breeds pandas too. They understood the assignment, right?
The institute, which is home to a large number of bears, is a non-profit organization. The Chengdu research center only aims to prevent pandas from going extinct.
You should add this fantastic place to your bucket list. They have 11 guides, who are bachelor degree holders mind you. We are eager to hear your experience here from you.
