The Giant Panda, or Ailuropoda melanoleuca, is a study in contradictions. It is China’s national treasure, a symbol of the country and a tool in diplomacy, yet it is also endangered. It is cute and cuddly, yet has been known to bite the unwary. The basic facts, however, are undisputed.
Panda Bear Basics
The giant panda defied classification for a long time. Once thought to be related to the raccoon, it wasn't until the 1970s that DNA analysis showed it to be a member of the bear family. Unlike other bears, however, pandas do not hibernate, and are vegetarian. Their molars are wider and flatter than those of other bears, and they have enlarged wrist bones that function as an opposable thumb, allowing them to manipulate bamboo.
Distribution of the Giant Panda
Today the giant panda can be found in pockets across six mountain ranges in southwestern China – Minshan, Qinling, Qionglai, Liangshan, Daxiangling and Xiaoxiangling. Fossil evidence shows that they once ranged across much of southern and western China, and into northern Myanmar and Vietnam. Habitat loss has increasingly restricted the panda, which is now limited to bamboo thickets at altitudes of between 1200 and 3500 metres.
Diet of the Giant Panda
Famously dependent on bamboo, giant pandas actually have the digestive tract of a carnivore. Their digestion is highly inefficient, however, as they cannot breakdown cellulose effectively. As a result, they have to eat large amounts of bamboo to obtain their energy requirements, between 12-38 kilograms of bamboo a day.
Panda Life Cycle
Pandas have acquired a reputation for being poor breeders, primarily due to the disappointing reproduction rates of captive pandas. Studies have shown however that the giant panda in the wild has similar reproductive rates to the thriving American black bear.
Giant pandas reach maturity at 5 to 6 years, and mating is usually between March and May. The cubs are born in August and September, weighing in at around 90 to 130 grams. They are fully weaned at the age of eight to nine months, leaving the mother when she conceives again, usually at about eighteen months.
Reuters reported in 2006 on the difficulties involved in breeding giant pandas in captivity ("Giant panda gives birth to giant cub", 8 August 2006). Females only ovulate once a year, with a narrow 24 to 48 hour window for breeding, when artificial reproduction methods are usually adopted. Infant mortality is high. Females usually give birth to one or two cubs, but it is rare for more than one cub to survive. A panda's average life span in the wild is between 14 and 20 years, although they can live for up to 30 years in captivity.
Giant Panda Behavior
Giant pandas are solitary creatures, only coming together during the mating season. They communicate primarily through vocalization and scent-marking. As they do not hibernate, pandas will descend to lower elevations in the winter, bamboo supply permitting.
After more than a century of study, the giant panda will doubtless remain the object of research and fascination.
Sources: The Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, Hong Kong (OPCFHK)
World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
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