Pandas

The panda is a medium-sized bear native to mountainous bamboo forests in China.

In April 2009 China announced that it was beginning construction of a new panda breeding center in Sichuan. The center will be located inside the Wolong nature reserve, which was destroyed during the Sichuan earthquake of 2008. The center and projects it will include will cost over $191 million.Xinhua English: China to start construction of new panda breeding base in Sichuan (April 19, 2009)

The panda's 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.

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.

• Amazon.com: Panda Books

• Cafe Press: Panda Bear Books and Gifts

• Camelot Bears: Panda Bear Collectibles

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