Guide Note

The panda is a medium-sized bear native to mountainous bamboo forests in China. Their range was once much larger, stretching over much of eastern Asia, but habitat destruction has forced these elusive bears into a small region in the mountains of southern China. Pandas are considered to be severely endangered, with only about 1,600 remaining wild pandas and about 250 more living in captivity.

Pandas are distinctive for their white fur marked with patches of black on their face, ears and legs.

Fast Facts

1. Length: 4 to 5 feet long
2. Height: 2 to 3 feet at the shoulder
3. Average weight: 220 to 300 pounds
4. Life span: 18-20 years old
5. Can live up to 35 years in captivity
6. Over 45% of remaining panda habitat is protected in 50 reserves

Diet

Although they have the digestive system of a carnivore and have been known to eat small animals, eggs and fruits, the panda's diet is 99% bamboo. Because their systems are not specifically designed to digest vegetable matter, much of what they eat is expelled as waste. Therefore, they must spend up to sixteen hours a day eating up to 38 pounds of bamboo to obtain sufficient nutrients.

Pandas are often observed munching on bamboo in a relaxed seated position, giving the impression that they are sedentary animals, but they are skilled climbers and swimmers.