Panda Bear Facts
Panda Bear Facts:
Scientific Name: Ailuropoda melanoleuca
Height: 60-90 cm (Adult, At Shoulder)
Lifespan: 20+ years (In the wild)
Gestation period: 95-160 days
Hibernation period: Pandas do not hibernate
Mass: Male: up to 160 kg (Adult), Female: up to 125 kg (Adult)
Panda Bears are native to south-central China and are recognized by their unique black and white pattern. Black patches surround their eyes, ears and around their bodies.
More about Panda Bears:
The panda’s taxonomic classification was widely debated because of the unique traits it shares with both bears and raccoons. Studies have concluded pandas do in fact belong to the bear family, with its closest relative is the Spectacled Bear.
Panda Facts & Tidbits:
- Pandas have a diet of 99% bamboo, but will occasionally consume small birds and rodents.
- There are two subspecies of the Giant Panda – the Giant Panda and the Qinling panda. They differ in head size, fur coloring, and population genetics.
- The panda paw has 5 fingers and a “thumb” which helps to hold bamboo when eating.
- Pandas are solitary animals and females will not allow another female into their territory.
- Newborn pandas are small, pink, blind and toothless. Within a couple of weeks, the skin starts to turn grey where the black fur will grow in.
Distribution
Wild Panda Bears are found in the Sichuan province of China, as well as neighboring Shaanxi and Gansu. The deforestation in the area has driven pandas out of their natural lowland habitats and into a few mountain ranges.
Status
IUCN Status: Vulnerable. Roughly 250 pandas live in captivity in China, while nearly 50 live in captivity outside of China. Less than 2000 pandas are estimated to be living in the wild.
