Order:  Carnivora

Family:  Ursidae

Genus:  Ailuropoda

Species:  Ailuropoda melanoleuca

Where Found

Southwestern China, along the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau in six small areas in Sichuan, Gansu, and Shaanzi provinces.

Other Names

Xiongmao (giant bear cat)

Appearance

Giant pandas have sharply contrasting black and white coloration. The front paw has six digits and functions like an opposable thumb

Size

Male pandas in the wild weigh from 190 to 275 pounds (86 to 125 kg). Female pandas range between 155 to 220 pounds 70 to 91 kg). At birth, cubs weigh about 3 to 5 ounces 85 to 142 grams). In captivity, giant pandas can live longer than 25 years.

Reproduction

Pandas reach sexual maturity from four-and-a-half to six-and-a half years of age. Mating season is in the spring from March to May. Cubs are born in August or September. Dens are found in hollow trees or caves, where one cub is raised at a time. Cubs are weaned at nine months, and remain with their mothers for up to a year and a half.

Social Life

Pandas live alone except for females accompanied by cubs. Home ranges for males average 3.3 square miles (8.55 km), and 1.8 square miles (4.66 km) for females. Home ranges for females are usually mutually exclusive, while male pandas may overlap those of several females.

Food

Pandas eat branches, stems, and leaves of at least 30 species of bamboo. Bamboo comprises 99per cent of the food consumed by giant pandas in the wild. They must eat 25 to 40 pounds (11 to 18 kg) of bamboo daily to maintain the required nutritional state.

Habitat

Giant panda inhabit mountain forests at altitudes of 4,000 to 11,500 feet, characterized by dense stands of bamboo (see Diet, above). Pandas are found in southwestern China, along the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau in six small areas in Sichuan, Gansu, and Shaanzi provinces.

Wild Population

Estimate between 700 and 1000 in the wild, and declining.

FYI

Pandas are considered one of the rarest species in the world. Pandas are active mainly at twilight and at night. Their eyes are adapted for night vision. They were considered the domestic animal of the Chinese emperors. Eleven distinct calls have been identified for Pandas in the wild. Typically, pandas don’t hibernate, even when living in higher elevations.