The Giant Panda

The plumping bear cat, which lives notwithstanding in China external of captivity, has captu ruddy the hearts of people of all ages across the globe. From their furry black and discolor body to their shy and docile nature, they ar considered one of the most love animals. vigorous Fact The estimated number of gargantuan panda bears in the wild varies among 1,500 and 3,000.Intriguing Giant Panda MysteriesWhile most adore their fluffy fur and pulsation head, which foster give away them their cuddly bear quality, others are fascinated by the many mysteries of the elephantine panda. Did you know that a goliath panda whitethorn actually be a raccoon, they throw away an opposable pseudo thumb, and theyre technically a carnivore even though their diet is primarily vegetarian? These things and to a greater extent reserve baffled scientists and naturalists for hundreds of years.Opposable Pseudo ThumbA characteristic of the giant panda that has confuse scientists is their mo vable, elongated wrist bone that acts wish an opposable thumb. This human-like quality that helps give them an even more cuddly-bear appearance enables the giant panda to pick up objects and even eat sitting up. Quick Fact Giant pandas have five clawed toes and one pseudo thumb. Their pseudo thumb, along with pads of skin, help the giant panda strip the more nutritious small bamboo shoots and leaves plot of ground they hold the stalk in their mouth.Small Bear or Large raccoon?Giant pandas are generally referred to as bears and are typically called panda bears rather than giant pandas. Though we may think they look like bears, there has been a great deal of discussion for decades about where giant pandas actually fit in the animal kingdom. Much of the debate has been whether they are more closely related to the red panda, once thought to be a member of the raccoon family, than the bear family.While a giant panda has a body that resembles a small bear and climbs trees like a bear, it also has several characteristics in common with the red panda. For example, both giant pandas and red pandas eat bamboo and have the same pseudo thumb. Thetable downstairs lists the main characteristics the giant panda shares with the bear and red panda. BearRed Panda ShapeDiet SizePaws ungroomed furEyes GaitNose and teethCat-like featuresWhile the body of a giant panda looks like that of a bear and the dark circles most its eyes resemble those of a red panda or raccoon, its pupils have vertical slits like the eyes of a cat. Because of their unusual eyes, a popular Chinese name for panda is big bear cat or /d xing mo, pronounced as dah-sshyong-maow. DNA resultsDNA analysis has put one enigma to rest. It has revealed that while the red panda is a distant relative, the giant pandas juxtaposed relative is the spectacled bear from South America.Mostly Vegetarian DietGiant pandas love bamboo In fact, their diet is 99% bamboo. Along with bamboo, they eat other plants, small ro dents, and occasionally fish. The conundrum behind their diet is they have the digestive system of a carnivore. Their susceptibility to digest bamboo is attributed to tiny microbes that live within their digestive system. Since they can unaccompanied digest about 20% of what they eat, the average giant panda consumes around 14 kilograms (30 pounds) of bamboo a day. In comparison, humans eat about 2 kilograms (5 pounds) of food a day. This enormous diet means the giant panda spends more than 12 hours a day eating to stay nourished. Quick Fact As the seasons change, the giant panda prefers different species and parts of bamboo.Tiny CubsAn sister giant panda cub is about the size of a croissant, weighs little than a coffee cup, and is about 900 times smaller than its mother. An average with child(p) mother weighs around 91 kilograms (200 pounds) while a newborn weighs only 83 to 190 grams (3 to 4 ounces).Other Fun Giant Panda FactsResearchers have recently discovered the gene res ponsible for tasting savory or umami flavors, such as meat, is inactive in giant pandas. For many centuries, giant pandas were thought to be a mythical creature, similar to a genus Draco or unicorn. Unlike other bears in the region, giant pandas dont hibernate.Giant pandas can stand erect on their hind legs but rarely walk. The Qinling panda, another giant panda species with a dark brown and hang brown coat, lives only in the mountains of Shaanxi. Giant pandas have very responsive hearing and smell, but they have poor eyesight. A newborn giant panda is blind and looks like a tiny, pink, hairless mouse.