The Giant Panda

What's black and white and loved all over?.......the Giant Panda, a national treasure of China. Because it is a national treasure, it is protected by law. Scientists aren't exactly sure why the Panda is black and white, but they think that the black and white coloring provides camouflage against the snow and rocks of their environment. Some scientists also say that the different coloring also helps the Giant Pandas to see each other.


The Giant Panda's diet is 99% bamboo. And it eats a lot of bamboo, too! It eats for at least 12 hours per day and consumes up to 84 pounds of bamboo! In the wild, the Giant Panda also eats grass, shrubs, berries and small rats (if it can catch them).

When we see a Giant Panda in the zoo, it is either sleeping, or sitting down with its legs out in front. They look lazy, but they can easily climb trees and are good swimmers. Baby pandas are born white; they develop the unique coloring as they get older. Baby pandas are also blind, and cannot crawl until they reach 5 months.

The Giant Panda is an ENDANGERED SPECIES. There are only 1,600 Giant Pandas in the world. Some reasons why they are endangered:

1. Few babies - Female Giant Pandas give birth to one or two cubs and can take care of only one. In the wild, one of the cubs usually die. But in a zoo, zookeepers take care of the other twin and switches the cubs so that the Mother Panda is able to give both her babies care and milk.

2. Bamboo shortage - When bamboo plants grow, they flower and produce seeds. The seeds grow into plants big enough for the Giant Panda to eat. When the seeds produce the plant, the bamboo plant dies. The Panda will eat the kind of bamboo that grows in its environment. But the bamboo plants growing in the same area die at the same time, forcing the Giant Panda to look in other places.

3. Habitat destruction - As Pandas look for more places that grow bamboo, they compete with the world's growing population. More people means the need for more places to live, which means more forests are cut down to make space. As people cut more trees, the Giant Panda has less and less food to eat.

4. Hunting - Although the Giant Panda is not hunted, it can sometimes be hurt and killed by the traps that hunters set for other animals.

Giant Panda Fast Facts
Scientific Name: Ailuropoda Melanoleuca
Type: Mammal
Diet: Omnivore
Height: 4 to 5 feet
Weight: up to 300 pounds
Range: Southwestern China
Diet: Bamboo, grass, shrubs

To solve a jigsaw puzzle of the Giant Panda, click on the image or here.