Giant pandas like Po are chiefly found in China and are the rarest members of the bear family. The Chinese word for panda is ‘Da Xiong Mao’ which means Big Bear Cat.
Physical Features and Eating Habits
The bamboo plant has immense importance in a giant panda’s life. Each day, pandas spend at least twelve hours eating bamboo. Pandas have five fingers and a special wrist bone which they use as their thumbs which help them grasp bamboo stalks. They have strong jaw bones and teeth that help them to easily crunch the bamboo shoots. Giant pandas are so fond of eating bamboos plants that they can consume up to 10 kilos of bamboos a day.
These good looking creatures are known for their distinctive black-and-white colouring; their eyes, ears, legs and shoulders are black, while the rest of their fur is white. A panda’s skin has two different colors; under their black fur, the skin is dark while under the white fur, it is pink! That is something not heard of before!
Birth and Growth
Giant pandas are only about the size of your palm at the time of birth, and they are completely hairless and helpless. The panda mother is extremely loving and caring and looks after the cubs till the time they can venture out on their own. The young ones can climb trees and eat tender bamboo shoots when they are seven months old. Adult Pandas are generally 2–3 feet tall and 5–6 feet long and can weigh up to 150 kilos.
How are Pandas different from other Bears?
The giant panda differs from other bears living in temperate climates in that unlike them, it does not hibernate. Pandas live between 15–20 years in the wild and more than 30 in captivity. Panda is the symbol of peace in China and the scientists are working on coming up with effective conservation measures to save the pandas.
3 Fun Facts about Pandas
1. The Giant Panda’s teeth are almost 7 times bigger than human teeth.
2. Pandas are big gluttons and they cannot go without eating for 5–6 hours.
3. Young Pandas are pretty much like kids, they like to have fun. They are very energetic and clumsy. In zoos, special birthday cakes made of vegetables are offered to the pandas and they love to have them.
Here’s how you can learn to Draw a Panda.