Giant Panda
Ailuropoda melanoleuca
Looked upon as the ambassador for all endangered species, the giant panda is a well-recognized symbol of international wildlife conservation. Giant pandas have black fur on their ears, around their eyes (eye patches), muzzle, legs and shoulders. Good tree climbers, pandas can also swim to escape predators. Pandas use an enlarged wrist bone that looks like a thumb to grasp objects like bamboo.
Height 29.5 inches at shoulders
Length 5 ft (with a 6 inch tail)
Weight Around 250 lbs (males); around 220 lbs (females)
Lifespan 20-30 years in captivity
Diet
Staples Bamboo
Also known to eat flowers, vines, tufted grasses, green corn, honey and rodents.
Population
Today, an estimated 2,000 pandas are found in the wild. By the end of 2006, there were a reported 180 pandas in captivity on mainland China and about 20 in other countries.
Range
Historically pandas lived in both mountainous and lowland regions of central-western and southwestern China. They are now found only in the mountains of central China, in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces.
Behavior
Pandas are found mostly in thick bamboo and coniferous forests (evergreens with seed cones) at 8,500 to 11,500 feet in elevation. They are generally solitary animals that spend most of their days feeding. However, they do communicate with each other once in a while through scent markings, calls and occasional meetings.
Unlike other bears, pandas do not hibernate. In the winter, they move to lower elevations to keep warm, while traveling to higher elevations in the summer to stay cool. They can be active at any time of the day or night.
Pandas do not have permanent homes but sleep at the bottom of trees under stumps and rock ledges.
Mating Season March-May
Gestation 3-5 months
Litter size 1-2 cubs
Cubs are born blind and helpless and only one cub survives. The cub’s eyes open at six to eight weeks and it starts to move around at three months. Weaned at six months, the cub becomes independent after a year. They may, however, stay with their mothers for up to three years before they strike out on their own.
Threats
Pandas are threatened by habitat loss due to increasing human populations, poaching and bamboo die-offs.
Defenders of Wildlife is working to educate the public on threats to giant pandas.
Legal Status/Protection
*Endangered Species Act, **CITES Appendix I
* The Endangered Species Act requires the U.S. federal government to identify species threatened with extinction, identify habitat they need to survive, and help protect both. In doing so, the Act works to ensure the basic health of our natural ecosystems and protect the legacy of conservation we leave to our children and grandchildren.
**Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, an international treaty with more than 144 member countries. Appendix I listed species cannot be traded commercially. Appendix II listed species can be traded commercially only if it does not harm their survival.
How You Can Help
- Help pandas and other wildlife by adopting a Giant Panda today at our Wildlife Adoption Center.
- Take Action for Wildlife at our Wildlife Action Center.
For additional information
Defenders' International and Habitat Conservation Efforts
National Zoo's Giant Panda Facts
Giant Panda Page on Science & Nature
