Pandahasablackandwhitecoat.Adultsmeasurearound1.5meterslongandaround75centimeterstallattheshoulder.Ithasabodyshapetypicalofbears.
Ithasblackfuronitsears,eyepatches,muzzle,legs,armsandshoulders.Therestoftheanimal'scoatiswhite.
Thelovelypandaisoneofthefewanimalsthathasbeensurvivingformillionsofyearsontheearth.
It'samovingantiquenow.
Carehastobetakenthoughasthenumberisdwindlingduetodeforestationbymankind,huntingbyunscrupuloushuntersformoney,reductioninfood(babybamboos)andalsodifficultyinconceiving.
Thegiantpanda(Ailuropodamelanoleuca)("black-and-whitecat-foot")isamammalclassifiedinthebearfamily,Ursidae,nativetocentral-westernandsouthwesternChina.Itiseasilyrecognizedbyitslarge,distinctiveblackpatchesaroundtheeyes,earsandonitsrotundbody.Thoughtechnicallyacarnivore,thepandahasadietwhichis98%bamboo.However,theymayeatotherfoodssuchashoney,eggs,fish,andyams.
TheGiantPandaisanendangeredanimal;anestimated3,000pandasliveinthewild[2][3]andover180werereportedtoliveincaptivitybyAugust20xxinmainlandChina[3](anothersourcebytheendof20xxputthefigureforChinaat221[4]),withtwentypandaslivingoutsideofChina.[citationneeded]
However,reportsshowthatthenumbersofwildpandaareontherise.[5][6]
Thegiantpandahaslongbeenafavoriteofthepublic,atleastpartlyon
accountofthefactthatthespecieshasanappealingbaby-likecutenessthatmakesitseemtoresemblealivingteddybear.Thefactthatitisusually
depictedrecliningpeacefullyeatingbamboo,asopposedtohunting,alsoaddstoitsimageofinnocence.Thoughthegiantpandaisoftenassumeddocilebecauseoftheircuteness,theyhavebeenknowntoattackhumans,usuallyassumedtobeoutofirritationratherthanpredatorybehavior.
TheGiantPandahasaverydistinctiveblack-and-whitecoat.Adultsmeasurearound1.5mlongandaround75cmtallattheshoulder.Malescanweighupto115kg(253pounds).Femalesaregenerallysmallerthanmales,andcanoccasionallyweighupto100kg(220pounds).GiantPandaslivein
mountainousregions,suchasSichuan,Gansu,Shaanxi,andTibet.WhiletheChinesedragonhasbeenhistoricallyanationalemblemforChina,sincethelatterhalfofthe20thcenturytheGiantPandahasalsobecomeaninformalnationalemblemforChina.ItsimageappearsonalargenumberofmodernChinesecommemorativesilver,gold,andplatinumcoins.
TheGiantPandahasanunusualpaw,witha"thumb"andfivefingers;the"thumb"isactuallyamodifiedsesamoidbone,whichhelpsthepandatoholdthebamboowhileeating.StephenJayGouldwroteanessayaboutthis,thenusedthetitleThePanda'sThumbforabookofessaysconcernedwithevolutionandintelligentdesign.TheGiantPandahasashorttail,
approximately15cmlong.GiantPandascanusuallylivetobe20-30yearsoldwhilelivingincaptivity.
Untilrecently,scientiststhoughtgiantpandasspentmostoftheirlivesalone,withmalesandfemalesmeetingonlyduringthebreedingseason.Recent
studiespaintadifferentpicture,inwhichsmallgroupsofpandassharealargeterritoryandsometimesmeetoutsidethebreedingseason.[citationneeded]
Likemostsubtropicalmammals,butunlikemostbears,thegiantpandadoesnothibernate.
[edit]Diet
PandaseatingbambooattheNationalZooinWashington,D.C.Despiteitstaxonomicclassificationasacarnivore,thepandahasadietthatisprimarilyherbivorous,whichconsistsalmostexclusivelyofbamboo.Thisisan
evolutionarilyrecentadaptation.Pandaslacktheproperenzymestodigestbambooefficiently,andthusderivelittleenergyandlittleproteinfromit.
Whileprimarilyherbivorous,thepandastillretainsdecidedlyursineteeth,andwilleatmeat,fish,andeggswhenavailable.Incaptivity,zoostypicallymaintainthepandas'bamboodiet,thoughsomewillprovidespeciallyformulatedbiscuitsorotherdietarysupplements.
Itisknowntoallthatpandaisournationaltreasure.Itslovelyimageisfavoredbypeoplefromallovertheworld.WhenIseethepanda,Iamsoexcited,itsblackeyesandroundfatbodyshapelooksocute.Thepandasareverylazy,theyjusteatandsleepalltheday.Peoplealwaysplaythejokethatifyouhavenotenoughsleep,youwilllooklikeapanda.
Pandaarecuteanimals.Theyliveintheforestsorthemountainsandtheyeatbambooforfood.Thegrown-uppandaisaboutfrom120to190metrestall.Anditsweightisabout85to125kilometres.Theskinofpandaisblackandwhite,it'sthickandsoft.Infat,thereisalsoakindofbrownpandas,butonlyfiveareleftintheworld.Thereareafewpandasallaroundtheworld,soweshouldprotectthem.
Pandaisalovelyanimial.Ithasjusttwocolorsallaroundthebody,blackandwhite.Mostpandasliveinsourthernchina,sichuanprovince.Theylikeeatingbamboo,themainfoodforthem.
Asweknow,lastyear,wehavesendedtwopandastoTaiwan.
TheyarenamesTuantuanandYuanyuan,meaningfulname.WealsohopeTaiwancancomebackhomesoon,wouldbetogetherwithitsmotherland.
Nowadays,thebalanceofnutureisdestroyedandtheweatherisgettingwarmerandwarmer,soweneedtodosomethingtoprotecttheseanimals.Otherwiseonedaywecantseepandasanymore.
Thegiantpanda(Ailuropodamelanoleuca)("black-and-whitecat-foot")isamammalclassifiedinthebearfamily,Ursidae,nativetocentral-westernandsouthwesternChina.Itiseasilyrecognizedbyitslarge,distinctiveblackpatchesaroundtheeyes,earsandonitsrotundbody.Thoughtechnicallyacarnivore,thepandahasadietwhichis98%bamboo.However,theymayeatotherfoodssuchashoney,eggs,fish,andyams.
TheGiantPandaisanendangeredanimal;anestimated3,000pandasliveinthewildandover180werereportedtoliveincaptivitybyAugust20xxinmainlandChina(anothersourcebytheendof20xxputthefigureforChinaat221),withtwentypandaslivingoutsideofChina.[citationneeded]However,reportsshowthatthenumbersofwildpandaareontherise.[5][6]
Thegiantpandahaslongbeenafavoriteofthepublic,atleastpartlyonaccountofthefactthatthespecieshasanappealingbaby-likecutenessthatmakesitseemtoresemblealivingteddybear.Thefactthatitisusuallydepictedrecliningpeacefullyeatingbamboo,asopposedtohunting,alsoaddstoitsimageofinnocence.Thoughthegiantpandaisoftenassumeddocilebecauseoftheircuteness,theyhavebeenknowntoattackhumans,usuallyassumedtobeoutofirritationratherthanpredatorybehavior.
TheGiantPandahasaverydistinctiveblack-and-whitecoat.Adultsmeasurearound1.5mlongandaround75cmtallattheshoulder.Malescanweighupto115kg(253pounds).Femalesaregenerallysmallerthanmales,andcanoccasionallyweighupto100kg(220pounds).GiantPandasliveinmountainousregions,suchasSichuan,Gansu,Shaanxi,andTibet.WhiletheChinesedragonhasbeenhistoricallyanationalemblemforChina,sincethelatterhalfofthe20thcenturytheGiantPandahasalsobecomeaninformalnationalemblemforChina.ItsimageappearsonalargenumberofmodernChinesecommemorativesilver,gold,andplatinumcoins.
TheGiantPandahasanunusualpaw,witha"thumb"andfivefingers;the"thumb"isactuallyamodifiedsesamoidbone,whichhelpsthepandatoholdthebamboowhileeating.StephenJayGouldwroteanessayaboutthis,thenusedthetitleThePanda'sThumbforabookofessaysconcernedwithevolutionandintelligentdesign.TheGiantPandahasashorttail,approximately15cmlong.GiantPandascanusuallylivetobe20-30yearsoldwhilelivingincaptivity.
Untilrecently,scientiststhoughtgiantpandasspentmostoftheirlivesalone,withmalesandfemalesmeetingonlyduringthebreedingseason.Recentstudiespaintadifferentpicture,inwhichsmallgroupsofpandassharealargeterritoryandsometimesmeetoutsidethebreedingseason.
Likemostsubtropicalmammals,butunlikemostbears,thegiantpandadoesnothibernate.