The giant panda is a type of bear. The Chinese call it the ‘big bear-cat' (大熊猫 da xiongmao /dah-sshyong-maow/). Grown pandas are about 75 centimeters (2.5 foot) tall and 1.5 meters (5 foot) long (see the diagram showing a man and a giant panda below). They weigh up to 150 kg (330 lb). Females are smaller, weighing up to 125 kg (275 lb).
Giant pandas have a distinctive appearance. Their thick black and white fur equips them for life in cool forests. Their white coat with black markings is unique, with black patches round the eyes and ears, black legs and a black band around the shoulders.Giant pandas' paws have five "fingers" and one "thumb" – an enlarged bone at the heel of the paw used for gripping bamboo, climbing, etc.
Giant pandas' round body shape helps them keep warm despite their low-calory bamboo diet. Their round faces hold big jaw muscles and molars for crushing bamboo. They have good geographical memory, hearing and sense of smell, but their sight is poor.
Habitat of Giant Panda
The giant panda's habitat is on the mountainous edge of the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau, Central-West and Southwest China. Giant pandas mainly live Sichuan, with a few populations in Shaanxi and Gansu. Before extensive farming and deforestation in China, the giant panda lived in many lowland areas of China's interior. See Giant Panda Maps.
Giant pandas live in rainy, mountainous bamboo forests 1,200 to 3,100 meters (4,000 to 10,000 feet) above sea level. An adult pair need about 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) of bamboo to sustain them.
Giant panda habitat has been reduced by developing China's logging and farming practices, until logging was banned by the government in 1998. Now over 50 nature reserves, covering over 1,000,000 hectares (2,600,000 acres), protect some of the remaining wild panda populations. However, the separation of habitat areas due to development means that pandas sometimes starve if the bamboo in their area has a bad year.
Protecting the panda's habitat concurrently preserves whole ecosystems from destruction and preserves the quality of water near the source of China's largest and most important river system – the Yangtze. Ecotourism in these reserves provides a livelihood for locals in poor mountain areas, while giving tourists a chance to see wild pandas in a controlled manner that leaves minimal impact on the environment.
Giant Pandas' Food
A giant panda's diet is 99% bamboo, 13 kg (30 lb) or more a day - that is an estimated 3,500 bamboo stalks a day!
The giant panda has the digestive system of a carnivore, but has chosen to live almost exclusively like a vegetarian. Bamboo doesn't provide much energy, so giant pandas have to keep eating for up to 12 hours a day.
Giant pandas also sometimes eat small amounts of fish, honey, eggs, leaves, fruit and root vegetables. They eat small mammals and birds if they can catch them!
Where to See Giant Pandas in China
Increasingly used as the emblem of China, the cuddly and lovable giant panda lives nowhere else in the world outside captivity. The best place in the world to see giant pandas (seeing them in the wild is difficult and costly, but can also be arranged – contact us for a free quotation) is at the Panda Breeding Center in Chengdu.
Alongside the Great Wall, the Terracotta Army, the Li River, etc., China's giant pandas are becoming a must see attraction of China. The panda is the logo for the WWF and is known as a national treasure in China. They have received excellent reviews from our previous customers. See the testimonials on our giant panda pages.
There are also giant pandas in zoos in various places around China: Beijing Zoo, Shanghai Zoo, and Seven Star Park Zoo, Guilin.
There are actually two species of giant panda: the typical giant panda, with its black and white coat, and the Qinling panda, with a dark brown and light brown coat, which only lives in the mountains of Shaanxi.
There is also another species of panda called the red panda, which is much smaller than the giant panda, and has reddish-brown fur.
Click Giant Pandas to Read More about life of Giant Panda.
Click Giant Panda Tours to see the real Giant Pandas in China.
Pacific Giant Is it true that just recently earth was just missed by a ten mile meteor?
I was told by a friend that he heard that a giant 10 mile long meteor by passed us and that in ten years it could or possibly may hit the earth some where out in the pacific ocean.
That is nothing! There is a 3,000 mile wide giant asteroid that is only about 240,000 miles from Earth! And it keeps circling us as though it is ready to fall!!!
Both common and giant pacific octopus . I'm attempting to make an accurate model for my local aquarium , this is so the blind and partially sighted can know what these incredible animals are like .
It depends on their size and type. There are several.
It can be dozens but is not always the same.
They have three hearts though and the only hard part of their body is their beak.
Google octopus and click on images and that will give you a good idea of how to lay everything out.
Good luck - it sounds like a really worthwhile project. Well done for even attempting it. You must be very skilled.
Does anyone have these trees? One or the other or both? I am looking for a fast growing screen tree/bush. I like these b/c they grow very tall. I've read up on both of them and it seems the thuja green giant is heartier? Need some advice & thoughts please for anyone that has these.
Poplars are short-lived---don't bother.
I have no experience with a thuja.
Ask an arborist---better yet, learn about both trees from a tree trimming/removal service.
Trees should be part of a landscape for generations. Plant a tree that will outlive your great great grandchildren. Good things are worth waiting for. If you need a barrier planting, take photos to a garden center and ask for advice.
I am thinking about getting a juvenile Giant green pink toe and was wondering what housing would be suitable. I' ve seen people using Faunariums on their side but i'm not a big fan of that. I was thinking about getting an Exo terra 30x30x45 terrarium. Do you think this would be suitable for it? Any help is appreciated.
An exo terra enclosure would be fine, as would any aquariam that is set on end so it creates a vertical enclosure. Pink Toe's are arboreal so height is more important than floor space. I'm not sure what a Giant Green Pink Toe is - never heard of it - but you should be able to care for it the same as any other species in the Avicularia genus. Here is a caresheet my husband and I wrote on caring for them: