Giant panda | Facts, Habitat, Population, & Diet

What is a Giant Pandas?

A giant panda is a black and white bear. It is true that the giant panda is actually a bear and belongs to the family Ursidae. It is easily recognized by its black and white spots. The panda’s eyes, ears, legs, and shoulders are all black, and the rest of the body is white.

Although quite large, the giant panda is not really huge. It can grow up to 3 feet tall and 6 feet long when standing on all fours. Female pandas are usually smaller than males.

Where do Giant Pandas live?

Giant pandas live in the mountains of central China. They prefer dense temperate forests with lots of bamboo. Currently, scientists believe that there are about 2,000 pandas living in the wild in China. Most pandas living in captivity live in China. There are approximately (at the time of writing) 27 giant pandas living in captivity outside of China. Giant pandas are now considered critically endangered, meaning they could become extinct if left untreated.

What do Giant Pandas eat?

Giant pandas mainly eat bamboo, but they are carnivores, which means they eat meat. In addition to bamboo, they sometimes eat eggs, small animals and other plants. Because bamboo is not very nutritious, pandas need to eat a lot of bamboo to stay healthy. As a result, they end up spending most of their day eating. They have huge molars to help them crush bamboo.

Is the Giant Pandas dangerous?

Although the giant panda mainly eats bamboo and looks cute and cuddly, it can be dangerous to humans.

How long do Giant Pandas live?

In zoos, pandas live to be 35 years old, but they usually live to be 25 to 30 years old. It is believed that they do not live long in the wild.

Where can I see a Giant Pandas?

In the United States, there are currently four giant panda zoos. These include the San Diego Zoo in San Diego, California, the National Zoo in Washington DC; Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia; and the Memphis Zoo in Memphis, TN.

Other zoos with pandas around the world include Zoo Aquarium in Spain, Zoologischer Garten Berlin, Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico and Ocean Park in Hong Kong.

Interesting Facts About Giant Pandas

The panda is depicted on some Chinese coins.

The Chinese word for giant panda is daxiongmao. It means giant bear-cat.

There are more than 3.8 million acres of wildlife sanctuary in China to protect panda habitat.

Giant pandas do not hibernate like some bears. Baby pandas don’t open their eyes until they’re six to eight weeks old and weigh three to five ounces. It’s about the size of a candy bar!

Kung Fu Panda, an animated film about giant pandas, broke box office records in China and Korea.