Giant Panda

Neamtu Alexandra

Strichea Anamaria-Hortensia

Grupa 811 B, Anul I

Facultatea de Medicina Veterinara

Giant PandaDespite their exalted status and relative lack of natural predators, pandas are endangered. Severe threats from humans have left just over 1,800 pandas in the wild.

OVERVIEW

The rarest member of the bear family, pandas live mainly in bamboo forests high in the mountains of western China, where they subsist almost entirely on bamboo. A giant pandas digestive system is more similar to that of a carnivore than an herbivore, and so much of what is eaten is passed as waste. To make up for the inefficient digestion, a panda needs to consume a comparatively large amount of foodfrom 20 to 40 pounds of bamboo each dayto get all its nutrients. To obtain this much food means that a panda must spend 10 to 16 hours a day foraging and eating. The rest of its time is spent mostly sleeping and resting.

A newborn panda is about the size of a stick of butter (113 grams) but can grow to up to 330 pounds as an adult. These bears are excellent tree climbers despite their bulk.

Though solitary animals, pandas still communicate with one another through vocalization and scent marking. They spray urine, claw tree trunks and rub against objects to mark their paths.

Pandas are therarest member of the bear family. A 2004 survey showed thatfewer than 1,600 live in the wild. But that's40% morethan were thought to exist in the 1980s.PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

The giant panda, a black-and-white bear, has a body typical of bears. It has black fur on ears, eye patches, muzzle, legs, and shoulders. The rest of the animal's coat is white. Although scientists do not know why these unusual bears are black and white, some speculate that the bold coloring provides effective camouflage into their shade-dappled snowy and rocky surroundings. The panda's thick, wooly coat keeps it warm in the cool forests of its habitat. Giant pandas have large molar teeth and strong jaw muscles for crushing tough bamboo. Many people find these chunky, lumbering animals to be cute, but giant pandas can be as dangerous as any other bear.DEVELOPMENTAt birth, the cub is helpless, and it takes considerable effort on the mothers part to raise it. A newborn cub weighs three to five ounces and is about the size of a stick of butter. The cub is pink, hairless and blind. Except for a marsupial (such as the kangaroo or opossum), a giant panda baby is the smallest mammal newborn relative to its mother's size being 900 times smaller.

Cubs do not open their eyes until they are six to eight weeks of age and are not mobile until three months. A cub may nurse for eight to nine months. A cub is nutritionally weaned at one year, but not socially weaned for up to two years.

WHY THEY MATTER

Pandas play a crucial role in the bamboo forests where they roam by spreading seeds and facilitating growth of vegetation. In the Yangtze Basin where pandas live, the forests are home to a stunning array of wildlife such as dwarf blue sheep, multicolored pheasants and other endangered species, including the golden monkey, takin and crested ibis.

The pandas habitat is at the geographic and economic heart of China, home to millions of people. By making this area more sustainable, we are also helping to increase the quality of life of local populations. Pandas bring huge economic benefits to local communities through ecotourism.THREATS

HUNTING

Hunting remains an ever-present threat. Poaching the animals for their fur has declined due to strict laws and greater public awareness of the pandas protected status. But hunters seeking other animals in panda habitats continue to kill pandas accidentally.

HABITAT LOSS

Chinas Yangtze Basin region, which holds the pandas primary habitat, is the geographic and economic heart of this booming country. Roads and railroads are increasingly fragmenting the forest, which isolates panda populations and prevents mating.

Forest destruction also reduces pandas access to the bamboo they need to survive. The Chinese government has established more than 50 panda reserves, but only around 61% of the countrys panda population is protected by these reserves.

FACTS ABOUT GIANT PANDAS The giant pandas black and white coat and prominent black eye patches have made it one of the best known species, although it is among the shyest and rarest animals in the world.

In1936, American fashion designerRuth Harknesscaptures and takes the baby panda Su-Lin to the United States, making the cub an instant "celebrity" and evoking universal sympathy for the plight of the species and creating the 'panda cult'.

At first glance, the giant panda would seem to resemble a bear, but in fact its features show it has a stronger affinity with racoons. Pandas may climb as high as 4,000 meters to feed on higher slopes in the summer season.

It appears to use no special resting place, but simply lies down on the ground wherever it happens to be.

Five months after mating, a single cub is born in a nest of bamboo. It is rare for a female panda to give birth to twins; if she does so, the second cub is unlikely to survive.

The Chinese once hunted it, believing that its pelt provided magical protection against evil spirits. Today, however, hunting carries strict penalties in China.

Birthday cakes are often offered to captive pandas for fun. The cakes are completely healthy since they are made from ice and vegetables. The candles are usually bamboo sticks. Young pandas are much like kids, they like to have fun. They are very energetic and clumsy.Sources:

http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/giant-pandahttp://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/giantpandas/pandafacts/default.cfmhttp://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/giant-panda/http://www.bearlife.org/panda-bear.htmlhttp://www.animalfactguide.com/animal-facts/giant-panda/http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/giant_panda/?src=footer