The Big Panda is a member of the Bear family. These funny bears will make you smile! In this article you will find a detailed description and a photo of the big panda, you will be able to learn a lot of new and fascinating things about the life of this rare animal.
What does panda look like?
The panda looks like a bear. But the main difference between a big panda and a bear is the unusual coloring and the presence of a tail. The panda's color is unique. The big panda has black ears, legs and shoulders, black spots near the eyes, and the rest of the fur is absolutely white. Therefore, the panda is also called a spotted bear.
The panda looks huge, has a massive body, thick fur, short wide paws with strong claws and a rather long tail. Paws are well adapted to climb trees.
The panda's head is massive and with big ears. The pandas also have very powerful jaws with large teeth, which allows them to chew even the toughest stems of plants without difficulty. With all these combinations, the panda looks very cute and resembles a big teddy bear.
The length of the panda's body can reach from 120 to 180 cm. The average length is 160 cm. The height in the withers varies between 65 and 85 cm. The tail length is 10-12 cm. Weight of adults varies from 70 to 125 kg but can reach 150 kg. Males are mainly larger than females.
The spotted panda bear has unusual front paws with six toes. This paw structure allows you to control the young and delicate shoots of plants. The soles have pads on them that help to keep the smooth stems of the trees.
Where does a big panda live?
The big panda lives in the mountainous areas of central China, the forests of Tibet and Sichuan Province. This is the only place on the planet where pandas live in a natural environment. Panda lives in dense, impassable forests of bamboo, at an altitude of 1.5 to 4.5 km. This is the main habitat of the big panda.
The natural conditions of the area where the big panda lives have a pronounced change of seasons. But the dense fur of the panda protects it from extreme weather conditions. Pandas sometimes hide in hollow trees, cliffs, and caves in severe weather conditions.
Bamboo thickets, in which a large panda lives, reach a height of 3-4 meters and provide safe shelter and food for the spotted bear.
Panda behavior.
Pandas lead a very secretive lifestyle. They stay mostly alone, except for the breeding and upbringing seasons. Each panda has its own territory and protects it.
Pandas are terrestrial animals, but they are also good climbers and are able to swim. In cold weather panda is passive. Pandas do not hibernate in winter, unlike other bears.
In isolated cases, panda bears can attack humans. Panda bears show aggression only if they are teased or threatened. Due to the panda's increased discretion and secretive lifestyle, it is very rare for a person to encounter it in the wild.
The paws of a big panda are well adapted and help to climb high on the trees. The panda climbs a tree for a variety of reasons. To see the surroundings, play, relax and lie on the branches.
The beast climbed trees perfectly and climbs even the most inaccessible places. Panda seems clumsy, but it's not. The joints of the animal are very flexible and allow you to perform various gymnastic tricks.
Pandas are usually silent animals, prefer silence and are very careful. But they can make unusual sounds during marriage and social interactions. Life expectancy of a large panda in nature is on average 16-20 years.
What do pandas eat?
Pandas eat stems and bamboo leaves. This is their main and most favorite food. Therefore, the big panda is called a bamboo bear.
During meals, the panda holds the bamboo stem in his paw using his sixth finger. In fact, it grows on one of the bones of the paw. With it, pandas can hold objects in their paws, successfully climb trees, grab branches and perform other activities that are not typical of ordinary bears.
This adaptation of the paws makes it easy and deft to handle the flexible bamboo stems. Pandas take up a vertical position while eating, leaving their front legs free to help them manage the food better.
Pandas are predatory animals but only eat bamboo. An adult panda eats up to 35 kg of bamboo and shoots a day. The panda's esophagus and stomach are adapted to protect against bamboo chips.
Eating themselves, pandas fall asleep and wake up hungry again. Because food is nutrient-poor and monotonous, it is difficult to digest. Therefore, pandas have to chew most of the time, and this is up to 14 hours a day.
Pandas save their energy reserves. In this regard, they travel little and only when food resources are empty nearby.
It is also known that pandas eat eggs, small birds, animals, and some insects, despite the fact that pandas like bamboo. Animal food is a source of protein for pandas.
Pandas also like to drink icy freshwater from mountain streams and rivers. Although large pandas get much of their water from bamboo, they need more water. Therefore, the panda bear comes to its favorite springs every day.
Panda cub.
For the birth of cubs, the female builds a den. For this purpose, she chooses alpine forests on steep slopes that provide shelter in bamboo thickets. The breeding season of the big panda comes at the age of 4 to 8 years for the first time. The breeding season lasts from March to May, with females becoming more vocal. Otherwise, pandas lead a single lifestyle.
Pregnancy of the panda lasts from 90 to 160 days, on average about 130 days. The birth takes place in the den and 1-2 cubs are born.
The panda cub weighs 100-130 g, with a body length of 15-17 cm. The body of the newborn calf is covered with a thin layer of fur, under which you can see the pink skin with black spots.
Panda cubs are born blind and helpless. In a small and defenseless creature, it is difficult to know the future owner of bamboo forests. But panda bears are growing fast. Panda cubs' eyes open at the age of 3 weeks. Milk feeding lasts about 46 weeks.
Panda cubs make loud noises so that the mother hears them and does not crush them. Females often give birth to two people. Unfortunately, however, the mother chooses to raise one, stronger baby. The second dies without supervision. Pandas reproduce every 2 years. Therefore, the growth of pandas is slowing down.
Panda reproduction in captivity happens very rarely. But at birth, 2 panda bears in zoos, near the female leaves only one baby. And the second one is taken away and changed with the first one every few days. In this cunning way, it is possible to feed both babies with nutritious mother's milk.
The female panda completely devotes herself to the little calf, surrounding it with warmth and care. The mother feeds the calf up to 14 times a day and babysitters, shaking it in big paws.
Mothers often play with their grown-up cubs. Bear cubs stay with their mothers from one and a half to three years old.
The panda is considered a very rare animal and is listed in the Red Book with the status of a "vulnerable species". Due to the small population and low birth rate, just over 2,000 individuals live in the wild today.
The Big Panda is a symbol of China and is protected by the state. There is a death penalty for killing an animal in China.