Scientific Info about Endangered Pandas for Kids and Adults

Giant pandas are lovely and gorgeous black and white bears, which may be found in their natural habitat only on the territory of China. The cuteness of pandas remains undisputed worldwide, as these animals are even listed in the Guinness Book of Records as world’s cutest animals.

But, it’s extremely painful to state that both giant and red pandas are very close to extinction and there should be done as much as possible to spread the information about this incredible animal.

We have put together a list of interesting panda facts but we’d like to start with an educational video presentation:


Giant and Red Panda: Presenting 12 Interesting Facts about Rare Animals

#1. How big are grown up pandas?

Adult giant pandas reach the height of up to 5 feet and can weigh up to 220 pounds. About 90% of the diet of both giant and red pandas is made bamboo stalks and leaves.

#2. Why pandas are rare and close to extinction?

The latest statistical research states that pandas are in danger and are almost on the brink of extinction. Modern science gives several reasons, which may have caused such situation. Firstly, animals suffer from the loss of habitat due to deforestation.

In 1950, the territory, which is suitable for pandas, had an area of about 5.1 million hectares. In the 1990s, this area has been reduced to 1.3 million hectares. However, the continued shrinking of territories was slowed down and almost stopped by 1998, partially in part due to the new laws, which a ban deforestation in areas, where this animals were spotted.

#3. Giant panda: a raccoon or a bear?

For a long time scientists have argued about the taxonomic classification of giant pandas, as the animal shares characteristics with both bears and raccoons. However, the precise genetic tests and methods of molecular taxonomy have helped to distinguish that proved that giant panda is a #true bear and the member of the Ursidae family.

#4. Differences between red and giant panda

Even though red and giant panda have similar names, diet, habitat type and a pseudo thumb, which makes handling bamboo easier, these animals are unrelated species. Giant Panda belongs to the bear family (Ursidae) but the red panda to Ailuridae family.

#5. The pseudo thumb

All pandas have a so-called "pseudo thumb". A part of the body, which at the first glance looks like an additional finger, is not really a finger. This carpal bone, covered with skin, helps animals to handle with bamboo branches, which make up most of panda’s diet, easier.

#6. Pandas are carnivores?

Although bamboo makes up almost 100% of panda diet, their digestive system is poorly adapted to digesting bamboo, moreover panda digestive looks more like that of a carnivore than a herbivore animal. The digestive system of this able is still not capable of digesting all the components of bamboo leaves, so such food is not nutritional enough that is why they need to eat 12 to 38 kilograms of bamboo a day to cover the daily norm and conserve as much energy as possible by being, as some say, lazy.

On the one hand, eating only bamboo is very convenient for the animal, as the reserves of artificially grown bamboo may be rapidly renewed. On the other hand - bamboo forests are getting smaller, which causes the decrease in population due to loss of habitat.

#7. Panda cubs

Like many large animals, the reproduction process of pandas is slow, so increasing the population of such animals is no easy task. Females can reproduce only once every 2 years, so in the whole lifetime a female panda may give birth to about 5-8 cubs.

#8. Panda diplomacy

Chinese officials claim that all pandas in the world belong to China, as the country is the leader in international projects for saving the population of the species. All panda animals, which may be found in international zoos were actually loaned by China. Unofficial sources claim that loaning such an engendered animal costs about $1 million per year and all cubs, which were born during the period of the lease, belong to China.

Before sending pandas to a foreign country for the period of up to 10 years, the Chinese conservationists meticulously studied the conditions of the inviting zoo. However, if the zoo fits the requirements but fails to donate the required amount of money, the transfer may be sponsored by the state officials

#9. Red panda and Mozilla Firefox

Not many people know that red panda is the official mascot of Mozilla Firefox, popular web browser. The "fire fox" is one of the names, which is used to describe the red panda. Company historians say that originally a small panda was present in the logo of the browser. But the designer felt that the image of a #fox with make the logo more recognizable than the depiction of a red panda.

#10. Signs of panda aggression

Pandas are usually regarded as cute and clumsy bear, but such impression of complete harmlessness, can sometimes be misleading. As well as the fact that, despite its apparent clumsiness, pandas are known as pretty good tree climbers and exceptionally good swimmers. In general, for a carnivore, unlike such animals as sharks and #wolves, pandas are not very aggressive, however there are reports, when pandas attacked zoos personnel, who dared to enter their cells.

 Other quick facts about pandas:

- Western countries have only found out about the existence of the Giant Panda in the middle of the 19th century.

- Today panda is one of the rarest and poorly studied animals on the planet. This situation is partially the result of animal’s solitary lifestyle.

- South America is home to the spectacled bear, animal species, which are considered to be panda’s closest relative.

- Nowadays, in the wild the giant panda may be found only in a small number of western provinces of China: Sichuan, Gansu, Tibet.

- Chinese wildlife protection laws are incredibly strict. For poaching or smuggling skins of giant panda, which is protected by the Law, a person can get a life sentence or even a death penalty.

- An ancient Chinese tradition states that panda cubs should not be given names until they are 100 days.

Credits and further reading:

1) www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1336070/Why-Chinese-scientists-dressing-Panda-suits-fool-bear-cubs.html
2) wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/history/
3) www.facts.randomhistory.com/giant-panda-facts.html
4) www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123132770
5) www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_panda#Western_discovery
6) www.pandasinternational.org/wptemp/program-areas-2/captive-breeding-program/
7) www.onekind.org/be_inspired/animals_a_z/panda_giant/
8) www.softschools.com/facts/animals/red_panda_facts/312/
9) www.animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/panda-hibernation3.htm
10) www.livescience.com/27335-giant-pandas.html

Image credits:

1) travel4wildlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/pseudo-thumb.jpg
2) keshalang.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/6-fingers-1.jpg
3) upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Giant_Panda_Tai_Shan.JPG
4) uosm2018.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/panda1.jpg
5) msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/120211_canadapandas.jpg
6) static4.businessinsider.com/image/52740996eab8ea2a4c5941a0/chinas-panda-diplomacy-has-entered-a-new-phase.jpg
7) i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/5/3/1336062288452/A-researcher-dressed-in-a-001.jpg?w=1920&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=88b43a645da83b0b02445599c620d5d9
8) assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1179423!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/gallery_1200/researchers-transfer-panda.jpg
9) upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/WWFbalaobrasilia22032007.jpg
10) awsassets.wwf.ca/img/original/panda_wallpaper_eng.jpg
) upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ru/thumb/2/24/WWF_logo.svg/690px-WWF_logo.svg.png
11) apikabu.ru/img_n/2012-11_3/2gj.jpg
12) upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/RedPandaFullBody.JPG
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14) upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Red_panda_eating_bamboo.jpg
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