GIANT PANDA

Did You Know?

The Giant Panda has more teeth than any other mammal.
The giant panda eats 16 hrs a day, and only digests a small portion of the food.
The giant panda was unknown in the Western world until 1869.
The panda's stumplike tail is used to spread secretions produced by the scent glands, which are located beneath the tail, onto the surrounding area.
The panda's hearing is so acute that it can detect even the most stealthy predators.
The panda does not hibernate.

Habits

Pandas are solitary animals. They spend 2/3's of their day eating and the remaining time resting. The are agile climbers, but they usually only climb when they are in danger from predators such as brown bears, leopards, and wild dogs. Pandas will lie down wherever they want to. Pandas live in cold, damp conditions. They have exceptionally dense waterproof coats that give protection against these conditions.

Breeding

The mating season is only time pandas come together.
A single cub is born 5 months after mating in a nest constructed of bamboo. A panda rarely gives birth to twins: if she does, the second cub is unlikely to survive.
The tiny newborn panda cub is blind: it is 6 inches long and weighs only 3 ounces. It stays with its mother for 18 months, until it is indpendent enough to establish its own territory.

Distribution

Southwestern China, notably the Qionglai, Daxiangling, Xiaoxionging, and Liang Mountains in Sichuan Province: also the Min Mountains and Qinling Range in Shaanci Province.

Conservation

The giant panda is threatened with extinction. From an estimated 1,000 in 1983, the numbers have dropped to 300 following die-back of forest.
Animal