Basic Panda Information
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae (Bears)
Genus: Ailuropoda
Species: Melanoleuca
Geographic distribution: Giant pandas live in mountain ranges of Central China (Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces.) They used to live in lowland areas, but farming and deforestation force pandas to live in the mountains.
Existing population numbers: About 1,600 left in the wild. More than 300 live in zoos and breeding centers around the world, but mostly in China.
Diet: Exclusively (99%) bamboo. Also other grasses, small rodents, or musk deer fawns. In the zoos the pandas eat bamboo, sugar cane, rice gruel, special high-fiber biscuit, carrots, apples, and sweet potatoes.
Other: The giant panda have lived in bamboo forests for millions of years. It's a highly specialized animal. Giant pandas reach breeding maturity between four and eight years of life. They are reproductive until age 20. Female pandas only ovulate once a year, during the spring. She can only conceive between a short period of 2-3 days during ovulation. Can produce two offspring, but usually only one survives. This means on average a female panda can only raise about 5-8 offspring successfully in her lifetime. The slow breeding nature of giant pandas prevents them from covering quickly form habitat loss, illegal poaching, etc.
Value to Humanity: Pandas play a crucial role in bamboo forests because they spread seeds while roaming. This helps out the other animals in the Yangtze Basin where the pandas live. They also give economic benefits through ecotourism.
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae (Bears)
Genus: Ailuropoda
Species: Melanoleuca
Geographic distribution: Giant pandas live in mountain ranges of Central China (Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces.) They used to live in lowland areas, but farming and deforestation force pandas to live in the mountains.
Existing population numbers: About 1,600 left in the wild. More than 300 live in zoos and breeding centers around the world, but mostly in China.
Diet: Exclusively (99%) bamboo. Also other grasses, small rodents, or musk deer fawns. In the zoos the pandas eat bamboo, sugar cane, rice gruel, special high-fiber biscuit, carrots, apples, and sweet potatoes.
Other: The giant panda have lived in bamboo forests for millions of years. It's a highly specialized animal. Giant pandas reach breeding maturity between four and eight years of life. They are reproductive until age 20. Female pandas only ovulate once a year, during the spring. She can only conceive between a short period of 2-3 days during ovulation. Can produce two offspring, but usually only one survives. This means on average a female panda can only raise about 5-8 offspring successfully in her lifetime. The slow breeding nature of giant pandas prevents them from covering quickly form habitat loss, illegal poaching, etc.
Value to Humanity: Pandas play a crucial role in bamboo forests because they spread seeds while roaming. This helps out the other animals in the Yangtze Basin where the pandas live. They also give economic benefits through ecotourism.