Great Panda

Ailuropoda melanoleuca

Status

Vulnerable
Down graded from Endangered in 2016
1864 individuals in the wild (World Wildlife Foundation, WWF)

Adults

Height: 4 feet
Weight: 220-330 pounds
Life Span: 20 years
Habitat: Temperate, broad leaf/mixed forest of southwest China
Diet: Almost exclusively bamboo. Can eat 26-84 pounds a day.
Others: Wrist bones are enlarged and act as opposable thumbs

Fun Facts

Newborns are the size of a stick of butter
The females only have 2-3 days a year that they can get pregnant.
They do not roar like other bears.
Efficient swimmers
Their black and white colors are used as camouflage
They have the second longest tail of the bears. 4-6 inches
Only sleep 2-6 hours
They do not hibernate

Threats

Adults pandas have few natural predators and are mostly under threat from human activity. Habitat loss and fragmentation are major issues that this species face. Humans are clearing the bamboo forests for various reason and taking away the panda’s major food source. In the past hunting was a major issue for this gentle giant but laws have been put into place to stop this. Pandas still get caught by accident in hunter’s traps today though, making hunting another threat they have to face.

Why protect them?

Pandas are a lovable creature that the general public enjoy and know about. This makes them a great umbrella species. When panda’s are protected so is their habitat and by extension, all of the other endangered and vulnerable species in those forests are protected as well. Protecting pandas helps to protect a diverse habitat in our world.

Image of a Giant Panda on display at the University of Iowa Natural History Museum

I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Please take a few minutes to fill out a survey. Each response will be entered for the chance to symbolically adopt an animal from the World Wildlife Foundation.

Survey located here: https://forms.gle/HCtE6sx7YYPe7Atp7

Comment below to start a discussion!

Share with friends and family!