Panda Bear Facts

In the late 1900s, many pandas starved to death because the fountain bamboo they ate came to the end of its 100-year growth cycle and died back.
Giant pandas often give birth to twins, but in the wild one cub is always left to die.
Pandas have an inefficient digestive system – up to 50% of the plant material they eat passes out of their body intact within 10 hours.
Although bamboo forms the bulk of its diet, the giant panda also eats fish, small birds and rodents.
The giant panda eats sitting up, pushing bamboo canes into its mouth for 16 hours a day.
In ancient China, pandas were believed to have magical powers, and people wore panda masks to ward off evil spirits.
Reduced in number by hunting and deforestation, there are probably fewer than 1000 giant pandas left in the wild, in forest reserves in southeast China.
The giant panda has an unsuccessful zoo breeding record, with about 20 successes in the last 50 years.
Much livelier than the giant panda, the red panda is a nimble climber. It uses its long tail for balance, and when threatened rears up and hisses.
Giant pandas reach up to 150 kg in weight, but when new-born weigh only 100-150 g.
Giant and red pandas have an extra ‘thumb’ that enables them to grasp their food.
The panda’s diet is almost 99% bamboo. Eating fresh shoots in spring, mature leaves in summer and stems in winter. Bamboo thickets also provide shelter for sleeping.

This entry is filed under Interesting Facts.