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Panda by Sid Balachandran/

15 Cute Facts about Pandas

The most beloved animal is the Giant Panda, when visiting China do not miss visiting the zoo and feeding the beloved Giant Pandas and playing with the baby Pandas. The giant Panda is a national treasure in China known for its black and white coat, the species is not endangered but vulnerable and is protected in zoos. Also known as the Ailuropoda Melanoleuca the panda comes from the bear family known as the Urisdae family. This unique bear has long been revered and can be found in Chinese art dating back thousands of years. The giant panda, a black-and-white bear, has a body typical of bears. It has black fur on its ears, eye patches, muzzle, legs, and shoulders. One of the interesting evolutionary traits of the panda is its protruding wrist bone that acts like a thumb. This helps the pandas hold bamboo while munching it with their strong molar teeth, the rest of the animal’s coat is white. Pandas live mainly in temperate forests high in the mountains of southwest China, where they subsist almost entirely on bamboo. Pandas are excellent climbers and swimmers; baby pandas are born pink. Pandas play an important role in the forest ecosystem where they live. Seeds and plant matter collect on their fur, which is then deposited as they move throughout their habitat. The Panda’s thick wooly cloth keeps the bear warm even during the winter season. Giant pandas have large molar teeth and strong jaw muscles for crushing tough bamboo.

Here are fan facts about the Panda

1. Interestingly the Panda is a macro-nutritional Carnivores

Panda by Jay Wennington/

Giant pandas have captured the collective imagination and fascination of the world for decades. The fascinating fact is that pandas are carnivore mammals but prefer eating Bamboo. Pandas are extraordinary animals with an amusing diet, they eat meat but are most inclined to eat bamboo sprouts. Giant pandas primarily eat bamboo, but they are carnivores meaning they do eat some meat. Their diet is further supplemented with milk, eggs, and small animals. Since bamboo is almost 90% water, especially as young shoots, the panda’s water needs are mostly met by the consumption of bamboo. Plant-eating mammals almost always have enlarged, elongated guts to slow the passage of food, and to give their inner bacteria more time to digest their meals. The panda, however, has the short, vanilla gut of a carnivore. These creatures do better in digesting starch than other carnivores, and they usually choose the starchiest part of bamboo trees for consumption, giant pandas choose bamboo as their staple food bamboo is widely distributed in the wild easy for them to obtain, and they contain more starch than other woody plants. The giant panda lives almost exclusively on bamboo; eating an average of forty pounds of bamboo shoots, stalks, and leaves every day.

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2. Astonishingly the Giant Panda has five fingers with a Pseudo thumb

Panda by Yu Wang/

The giant panda also known as the Ailuropoda melanoleuca, uses the radial sesamoid bone – its pseudo-thumb for grasping the bamboo stems. The pseudo thumb is one of the most extraordinary manipulation systems in mammalian evolution. The bone has been reported to function as an active manipulator, enabling the panda to grasp bamboo stems between the bone and the opposing palm. The false thumb of pandas is a carpal bone, the radial sesamoid, which has been enlarged and functions as an opposable thumb. It is fascinating to see a Panda eat while holding its bamboo stem, most people are amused and find it cute. Before a giant panda eats a piece of bamboo its favorite meal, it grabs the shoot between its flexible thumb and finger and strips off the leaves. Pandas descend from carnivorous mammal ancestors, as reflected in the many traits they share with bears, dogs, and other relatives. The Pseudo thumb is a wrist bone known as the sesamoid that evolved until it was so big that it stuck out to one side of its forepaw. The muscles that control the bone have become rearranged so that now it can move much like our own opposable thumb.

3. Pandas are extraordinary bears that love climbing trees 

Panda by Bruce Hong/

Giant pandas are solitary and peaceful animals, which will usually avoid confrontation, but if escape is impossible, they will certainly fight back. The sweet and chubby Giant Pandas loved by everyone love climbing trees and swimming despite their weight and small limb. The ability to climb means a better chance of survival in the wild, as the bears will be able to escape predators like wild dogs. Pandas aren’t quick, and their defensive weapon is weak. Female pandas teach their young ones at an early age of six months to climb trees, their powerful jaws, strong arms and sharp claws serve as their weapons. The cubs love climbing trees for fun when they are young playing around with other cubs, the trees not only offer refuge to Pandas when attacked by predators but also the trees offer a relaxing place after they have eaten. Pandas find shelter in tree trunks from the hot sun and rainy season, the females use the trunk to give birth to their cubs to protect the cubs from any danger. A panda can climb up to 13,000 feet high, pandas developed good climbing skills for better survival in the wild. Giant pandas are most active during the night, especially during the twilight hours, during the day their eyesight is impaired, and cannot climb the trees well.

4. The amusing life of a panda is eating and sleeping all day

Panda by Chris curry

The great Giant Panda sleeps for 2 to 3 hours at a time and eats for up to  14 hours. This sleeping mode can sustain a stable energy intake and it also explains why they sleep right after they have completed eating. The creature’s favorite sleeping poses include lying flat on their backs, lying on their sides, lying on their stomachs, stretching their paws, and rolling themselves up into balls. The energy in the bamboo is very low, to reduce the energy consumed as much as possible, the giant pandas mainly spend their time looking for food and resting. After eating and drinking, they will sleep after climbing to the high branches where it is safe and cool. Pandas only digest about 17% of what they eat, meaning the rest of it goes straight from bamboo to poop. Most people find the Giant Pandas lazy sleeping and eating all day, in the zoos where they are protected, they have a schedule for the Pandas, and their behavior is closely monitored.

5. Unlike other bears, Pandas do not hibernate during the winter

Pandas by Lucas W/

The giant panda’s diet is almost entirely comprised of bamboo, a tough and chewy plant that provides zero fat. Bears and numerous other animal species go through this long-term slumber phase in the winter to survive the harsh temperatures, but pandas do not. This means that the giant panda’s diet is almost completely fat-free, fat is what keeps animals warm during the winter, although pandas don’t hibernate they do migrate for short distances with the changing seasons. Wild giant pandas have been observed to move to lower altitudes in the winter to help fight off the cold. They do not hibernate because they migrate from one place to another to look for food to feed, they have to consume bamboo stems because they spend half of the day eating. The good news is that they grow thick fur that allows them to withstand extreme cold. They would rather keep eating bamboo in the forests than die in the cold.

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6. Remarkably Pandas eat a lot and eat up to 14 hours a day

Panda by Debbie Molle/

Can you spend 14 hours eating in a day, well a Panda does take 14 hours in a day just eating. The giant pandas spend as long as 14 hours eating per day, the bamboo stems lack nutrients thus they have to keep eating. A giant panda needs about 12 to 38 kilograms of food per day. Pandas eat almost nothing but bamboo shoots and leaves. Occasionally they eat other vegetation, fish, or small mammals, but bamboo accounts for 99% of their diets. These awesome creatures eat fast and a lot all day, they digest only a fifth of what they eat. They eat a lot to stay healthy and have energy all year round, Pandas’ molars are very broad and flat. The shape of the teeth helps the animals crush the bamboo shoots, leaves, and stems that they eat. They can chop one-and-a-half inches of thick bamboo. Pandas love eating bamboo because of the starch in it but the bamboo plant stores starch in different parts during different seasons, in Spring and summer the pandas feed on the bamboo shoot while in Winter and Autumn they feed on the bamboo poles, branches, and leaves. One of the reasons people around the world love this beautiful creature is because they are chubby from consuming bamboo all day long.

7. Unbelievably Pandas mark their territory by marking their scent

Panda by Kerry Hu/

To mark their territory, giant pandas secrete a waxy scent marker from a scent gland underneath their tail. Other giant pandas can likely tell the sex, age, reproductive condition, social status, and more by sniffing the potent marker, according to the San Diego Zoo. A way for red pandas to communicate with one another includes marking territory or indicating their readiness to breed using scents. Red pandas also known as the firefox can pass along information to others by urinating or rubbing scent-producing glands at the base of their tail on a surface. Pandas often leave scents to attract members of the opposite sex, or to mark their territory. Giant pandas also communicate using their vocal repertoire; they perform up to eleven calls. Courting pandas will make a bleating sound to one another, and opposing males will bark to intimidate each other during the mating season. Pandas also use body language to communicate. Aggressive pandas bob their heads, showcasing their eyes and ears, while submissive pandas hide their eyes with their paws or turn their heads to the side.

8. The astonishing lifespan of a Giant Panda’s cub

Panda by Billow/

Giant Panda cubs are born pink, blind, and hairless the panda mother gives great care to her tiny cub, usually cradling it in one paw and holding it close to her chest. For several days after birth, the mother does not leave the den, not even to eat or drink. At fourteen weeks the cub starts developing teeth, and in three months the cub starts crawling. In one month the cub has black and white fur after being born. In six months the cub teaches itself how to eat bamboo stems. Panda cubs grow so quickly, they stay with their mother for one and a half to two years. When cubs leave their mother depends on if she conceives again. They are fully grown in four years eating and climbing trees. In six years the cub is fully grown and mature to live in the wild on its own. China is determined in protecting the Pandas, after a cub has learned to eat and walk the mother walks away and leaves it alone in the wild and it is easy for the cub to be attacked by predators. Giant pandas can live up to thirty years in captivity, but wild pandas can only live up to twenty years in the wild.

9. Unbelievably adorable Pandas love staying alone

Panda by Polina Razonilova/

Do you love your own company and space well Pandas are the same they love being by themselves as they eat, relax and sleep, they only meet up during spring to mate with their partners! This fact has not been proven because research shows that in the wild Pandas can be seen in groups of threes or fours, especially female pandas. Giant Pandas love the comfort zone that makes life convenient for them. Pandas love to be alone. They can be classified as loners, with or without other animals, and they are satisfied with themselves. Surprisingly, they have a strong sense of smell that informs them that another panda is around.  Because of their low-energy diet, they avoid stressful situations and exertion, preferring shallow slopes and solitary living. When a giant panda is attacked, it has to fend for itself rather than rely on a group to help and protect him. Injured giant pandas are often left to fend for themselves as well. Their solitary nature was seen as making them vulnerable to predators.

10. The adorable Giant Pandas mate during the Spring

Panda by Ilona Froehlich/

The panda population is decreasing rapidly. One of the reasons for this is that reproduction is a real challenge for pandas. Female pandas are only fertile for a short period each year and male pandas have a weak libido. Breeding season for giant pandas is usually in the spring from March to May, during the spring Bamboo stems are juicy with rich nutrients. At the time female pandas may express a mating signal to attract male pandas, which can ensure the continuation of excellent genes. The female panda’s gestation time varies between 112 days and 163 days, females reach sexual maturity when they are around five years while males’ maturity is around six or seven years. Females generally give birth three or four times in their lifetime but can be able to reproduce for more than ten years. Litters of one, two, or occasionally three cubs are born in August or September, usually in a hollow tree or cave. A female panda usually mates with the dominant male in her range and sometimes after she mates she has to climb trees to get away from other male pursuers. Male pandas fight for the chance to mate with available females. Dominant males often fight to control four or five females. When a fight occurs the female often climbs a tree and waits until one of the males emerges victorious.

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11. Interestingly Female Giant Pandas abandon twin cubs

Giant female Pandas are protective species that love and nurture their young ones until they are safe to go into the world on their own. Half of all panda births result in twins, however, it is very rare for both cubs to survive as giant pandas almost always abandon a cub if they give birth to more than one. The reason is that they don’t have sufficient milk or energy to care for two so they focus all their attention on the strongest club. The bamboo stems do not have enough nutrients thus Giant Pandas do not have enough energy to cater to two cubs and themselves this is why they abandon one of the cubs. The cubs are only raised by the mother and not the male Giant Panda, when cubs are young, mothers feed them with milk and even lick their bellies to help them defecate and keep their fur clean. The mother does not get much rest, each time the cub climbs away she will pick it up and take a nap together. When the cubs are older, they can walk and run mischievously, and some mothers become annoyed and may even use force to discipline their cubs.

12. Giant Pandas are no longer endangered but they are vulnerable

Panda by Yu Wang/

In China, the Giant Pandas are a special creature now protected in the zoo’s every year when tourists visit China they do not miss passing by the zoo and admiring the adorable bears. Chinese conservation officials have announced that they no longer consider giant pandas in China an endangered species. There are now 1,800 giant pandas living in the wild, a number that officials credit to the country’s devotion to maintaining nature reserves and other conservation initiatives in recent years. Since the 1950s China has used pandas to forge political friendships across the globe. Pandas, however, still face long-term threats. IUCN has said climate change could destroy more than 35% of their bamboo habitat in the next eighty years. China has spent half a century attempting to boost the population of its famous animals, creating sprawling panda reserves across several mountain ranges to save them from extinction.

13. The distinctive Black and white fur

Pandas by Lucas W/

Giant pandas have distinctive black and white coats, with black fur around their eyes and on their ears, muzzle, legs, and shoulders. Their thick, wooly coat helps to keep them warm in their cool mountain homes. An adult panda can weigh up to 150kg, with males 10% larger and 20% heavier than females. The giant panda’s distinctive black-and-white fur makes it one of the most recognizable animals on the planet, this distinctive fur helps the creatures to hide away from predators, and their distinctive coloration gives them effective camouflage in the wild. The markings on the Giant Pandas are used for communication with one another the dark ears may help convey a sense of ferocity, a warning to predators. It was discovered that their black pelage patches blend in with dark shades and tree trunks, whereas their white patches match foliage and snow when present. I will not mind buying a white and black patched heavy coat to look wonderful and lovely like our special Giant Pandas creatures.

14. Astonishingly they are two Giant Panda subspecies

The red Panda by Samuele Giglio/

Black-and-white giant pandas might all look similar, but there are two different types of them living in today’s China. One of the subspecies from Sichuan looks more like a bear while the other from Shaanxi has facial characteristics closer to cats, according to the Chinese state broadcaster. More than 70 percent of the world’s wild pandas live in Sichuan Province in southwestern China, with the rest in the provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu in the northwest. Giant Pandas are some of the most adorable and playful creatures on this planet. The young can be very comical to watch as they learn to interact with their family and others. They are also the red pandas also known as lesser pandas only found in specific regions of Southwest China and the Himalayas. It looks much more like a raccoon than its giant panda cousins.

15. Giant Pandas are National treasures in China

Panda by Peter Burdon/

With an amazing black-and-white coat, the fluffy animal is one of the most precious animals in the world. It is native to China, proudly called China’s national treasure. As the most well-known celebrity in China, it appears in the logo of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature WWF, preeminently endorses the Olympics and many other international games held in China as a mascot, and shows up as a versatile actor on the big screen, such as Kung Fu Panda. There are many reasons why people from around the world travel to China not only are these special creatures adorable they are also vulnerable creatures with the world changing and global warming we have no idea for how long these creatures will be around. The existing giant panda is representative of the remains of ancient animals, which are known as living fossils. The other reason is their appearance, since they are very similar to human babies’ fat cheeks, swaying gait, short and flat noses, and big eyes too cute to not fall in love with.

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