Kingdom	Animalia
	Phylum	Chordata
	Class	Mammalia
	Order	Carnivora
	Family	Ursidae
	Genus	Ailuropoda
	Species	Melanoleuca

Physical Description

Giant Pandas have a thick fur that is white over most of their bodies, and is black on their arms, shoulders, legs, ears, and in patches around their eyes. The reason for these unique markings are unknown, but it's believed to both act as camouflage in snow and to make Pandas more visible to one another. Pandas are solitary animals with poor eye site, so seeing these distinct markings makes it much easier for them to avoid each other in the wilderness.

Pandas weigh about 200-250 pounds (85-125 kg), have a body length of 4-5 feet (120-150 cm), stand about 2-3 feet tall when on all fours, and have tails that are about 5 inches long. Underneath their tails, Pandas have scent glands that they use for marking their territories. While Pandas have poor vision, they have an acute sense of smell that makes it easy to track and recognize each others scent markings.

While Pandas have a lot in common with other bears, they have developed certain characteristics that make it easier to eat their largely vegetarian diet. Pandas have large jaw bones, as well as substantial chewing muscles. Their molars are very wide and flat, making it easier to crush and chew on bamboo. Also, their digestive system has adapted to make bamboo digestion more feasible.

Breeding & Social Order

One major obstacle of increasing the Panda population is their slow and challenging reproduction rate. Pandas only breed once a year, and only during a 2-3 day period in the Spring when females are ovulating. While this small window of opportunity makes captive breeding that much harder, Pandas do well with this method in the wild. Using mating calls and scent marks, the normally solitary Pandas are able to find a mate without much difficulty.

Pandas reach mating maturity at about 5-6 years of age. If their partnering is successful, Pandas undergo a 3-5 month gestation period, and give birth to one or two babies. Unfortunately, when two cubs are born, it is common for only one to survive.

When baby Pandas are born, they are small (1/4 pound or 3-5 ounces), almost furless, immobile for 3 months, and blind (their eyes remain closed for up to 8 weeks). Though weaned fully in about 9 months, cubs stay with their mother for up to two years. For this reason, most Pandas only produce a cub every 2-3 years. Thus, many Pandas produce about 5-7 cubs in their lifetime.

Though they have lived up to 30 years in captivity, most Pandas live to be about 15 years of age in the wild. Most of their time is spent alone resting and eating, except for occasional moments of social interaction with other Pandas that share their territory. When they do socialize, Pandas are quite vocal, using various noises to communicate different physical and psychological feelings.

Threats to Survival

The future survival of the Giant Panda is uncertain. While efforts to save them have helped their chances, Pandas still face many threats, including habitat destruction, poaching, challenging dietary needs, and reproduction problems.

Habitat loss is the greatest problem facing Pandas. Though China is now making efforts to preserve the few areas where Pandas still can live, farming and deforestation still continue. Furthermore, past habitat destruction has divided Pandas in to a few isolated communities. This isolation can cause various problems, ranging from a smaller gene pool for breeding to the possibility of starvation from a lack of food or water sources.

Pandas have not been prolific breeders in captivity. However, in the wild, Pandas do not have this difficulty producing cubs. The problem that exists is whether or not their slow offspring production, coupled with a shrinking gene pool, can overcome the effects of people and produce a healthy future population.

Though not a huge problem, poaching of Pandas does still exist. Many hunters are deterred by the penalties that are imposed on them if they're caught, but the reward for successful hunters still makes poaching appealing to a few. Accidental hunting is also a problem for Pandas, as they are susceptible to being injured by snares set for other animals.

Diet & Habitat

While Pandas do still eat some small animals and other vegetation, their diet consists almost entirely of bamboo. Unfortunately, their digestive system is still better suited for a carnivorous diet, and a majority of this bamboo is passed through their bodies with little nutritious effects. Thus, Pandas spend about 14 hours a day collecting and eating between 20-50 pounds of bamboo to meet their dietary needs.

Not only is a Panda's diet time consuming, but it's also a major factor in its population decline. With people in China continuing to convert many forested areas in to farm land, Pandas have an ever decreasing roaming area. As people encroach further on its habitat, the shy Panda must retreat in to areas where it's more and more difficult to find both sufficient amounts of bamboo and a water source.

Bamboo does provide some hydration for Pandas, but not enough for survival. So, Pandas will live within a mile (1 km) of a prime water source, making it feasible to consume water on a daily basis. If a Panda finds an area with ample bamboo, yet it's not close to a water source, it will forego the food in search of an area that has both food and water.

There are over 200 types of bamboo, however, Pandas only eat about a dozen of these varieties. When they had a larger living range it was easier to find bamboo sources, but Pandas must now share a limited amount of bamboo in the few mountainous areas that they habitate.

Known to have ancestors from up to 3 million years ago, Pandas used to roam a a territory that included much of China and extended to neighboring Myanmar (formerly Burma) and North Vietnam. They are now confined to a few small Chinese mountain areas in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu. These mountain ranges provide seclusion from people, still have the types of bamboo that they eat, and provide a good water sources from rain fall and melting snow.

Conservation Status (Endangered)

There are approximately 1,000 Pandas alive today in the wild, and about 150 in captivity. While Pandas are now limited to several Chinese mountain ranges that make up about 5000 sq. miles (13,000 sq. km), it is hopeful that some of these territories will be preserved for them. Not only are the protection of these areas crucial to the survival of Pandas, but they also are home to many other rare plant and animal species, including the goat-like Takin.

General Information

Unlike other bears, Pandas do not hibernate.

It's not known if Pandas are able to see in color.

Though rare, Pandas with brown and white coloring do exist.

Pandas have enlarged wrist bones, which act as opposable thumbs and make it easier for them to collect and eat bamboo.

Ailuropoda Melanoleuca, the scientific name for Pandas, means 'white and black cat-footed animal'. The Chinese name for Pandas is Daxiongmao, which means 'large bear cat'.