Panda
technical name: Ailuropoda melanoleuca
What is Panda
Pandas, with their distinctive black and white fur, are loved all over the world and have been treated as national treasures in China. The panda has also been the logo of WWF since 1961.
Threat is VU. It was EN until recently, but has been upgraded to VU. Congratulation!!
Habitat
Wild pandas, currently numbering 1,864, are found in south-west China at altitudes of 1,200-3,900 m in thick bamboo forests.
The biodiversity in the areas where pandas live is as diverse as that of tropical ecosystems and considerably more diverse than that of other temperate ones. Therefore, protecting the panda means protecting the colourful pheasants, golden monkeys, takin, ibis and other animals that live around it.
Size
Adult pandas grow to more than 120 cm in length and 100-150 kg. However, as newborns they are only the size of a stick of butter, about 1/900th the size of their mother. When eating bamboo, pandas use the developed and enlarged bones in their wrists as thumbs.
Dietary habits
Pandas need to eat 12-38 kg of bamboo per day. This equates to 99% of the panda's diet, the remaining 1% being eggs, other plants such as wheat and rodents such as pachyderms. Pandas spend 10-16 hours a day foraging for food and eating.
Decline in the population
Panda numbers have increased after a period of steep decline and are now listed as Endangered (EN) to Vulnerable (VU).
Development of infrastructure (dams, roads, railways, etc.) leads to a decline in the panda population due to reduced access to food and elimination of encounters with other members of the population due to the destruction of important panda habitats. With regard to the poaching problem, the impact of poaching has decreased since the Wildlife Protection Act was enacted in 1988, which banned poaching and made it a strictly punishable offence. The reason for poaching is due to their rare black and white fur.
Did you know?
(i)
Pandas normally eat a type of mushroom called wood bumboo, and depending on the season, they eat bamboo grass, which is the leafy part, and bamboo shoots, which are in the sprout stage. Bamboo shoots are rich in phosphorus and nitrogen, but as they grow, the original nutrients are lost. Pandas therefore move to higher ground and feed on a type of bamboo called arrow bamboo. In mid-summer, pandas switch their diet again, moving down the mountain to eat wood bumboo. This cycle is so repetitive that pandas will starve to death if they do not have two types of bamboo within their range.
(ii)
The panda's black and white fur is both for camouflage, the black for shade and the white for concealment where there is snow.
(iii)
Pandas will starve to death if there are not at least two types of bamboo grass in their living area. The reason is that pandas normally eat a type of mushroom called wood bumboo, and depending on the season, they eat leafy bamboos and bamboo shoots in their shoot stage. Bamboo shoots are rich in phosphorus and nitrogen, but as they grow, the original nutrients are lost. Pandas therefore move to higher ground and feed on a type of bamboo called arrow bamboo. In mid-summer, pandas switch their diet again, moving down the mountain to eat wood bumboo. This cycle is so repetitive that pandas will starve to death if they do not have two types of bamboo within their range.
Citation
“Giant Panda | Species | WWF.” World Wildlife Fund, 2021, www.worldwildlife.org/species/giant-panda. Accessed 8 Mar. 2022.