Giant Panda
A bear species endemic to China, known for its black-and-white coat and bamboo diet.
The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), also known as the panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its white coat with black patches around the eyes, ears, legs and shoulders. Its body is rotund; adult individuals weigh 100 to 115 kg (220 to 254 lb) and are typically 1.2 to 1.9 m (3 ft 11 in to 6 ft 3 in) long. It is sexually dimorphic, with males being typically 10–20% larger than females. A thumb is visible on its forepaw, which helps in holding bamboo in place for feeding. It has large molar teeth and expanded temporal fossae to meet its dietary requirements. It can digest starch and is mostly herbivorous with a diet consisting almost entirely of bamboo and bamboo shoots.
- Scientific Name:
- Ailuropoda melanoleuca
- Diet:
- mostly herbivorous with a diet consisting almost entirely of bamboo and bamboo s
- Habitat:
- six montane regions in a few Chinese provinces at elevations of up to 3,000 m (9
- Conservation Status:
- Vulnerable (since 2016 on IUCN Red List; July 2021 by Chinese authorities)
- Gestation Period:
- unknown
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
The word panda was borrowed into English from French, but no conclusive explanation of the origin of the French word panda has been found. The closest candidate is the Nepali word ponya, possibly referring to the adapted wrist bone of the red panda. In many older sources, the name 'panda' or 'common panda' refers to the red panda (Ailurus fulgens), which was described some 40 years earlier. The binomial name Ailuropoda melanoleuca means black and white (melanoleuca) cat-foot (ailuropoda). Since the earliest collection of Chinese writings, the Chinese language has given the bear many different names, including mò (貘), huāxióng (花熊; 'spotted bear') and zhúxióng (竹熊; 'bamboo bear'). The most popular names in China today are dàxióngmāo (大熊貓; lit. 'giant bear cat'), or simply xióngmāo (熊貓; lit. 'bear cat'). In Taiwan, another popular name is dàmāoxióng (大貓熊; lit. 'giant cat bear'). The giant panda has often served as China's national symbol, appeared on Chinese Gold Panda coins since 1982 and Chinese Silver Panda coins since 1983, and was one of the five Fuwa mascots of the 2008 Summer Olympics.
In Their Own Story
The giant panda lives exclusively in six montane regions in a few Chinese provinces at elevations of up to 3,000 m (9,800 ft). It is solitary and gathers only in mating seasons. It relies on olfactory communication to communicate and uses scent marks as chemical cues and on landmarks like rocks or trees. Females rear cubs for an average of 18 to 24 months. The oldest known giant panda was 38 years old. As a result of farming, deforestation and infrastructural development, the giant panda has been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived. The Fourth National Survey (2011–2014), published in 2015, estimated that the wild giant panda population aged over 1.5 years, excluding dependent young, had increased to 1,864 individuals; based on this number, and using the available estimated percentage of cubs in the population (9.6%), the total population comprised approximately 2,060 adult individuals as of 2018. Since 2016, it has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. In July 2021, Chinese authorities also classified the giant panda as vulnerable. It is a conservation-reliant species. By 2007, the captive population comprised 239 giant pandas in China and another 27 outside the country.
Reader's Guide
The giant panda lives exclusively in six montane regions in a few Chinese provinces at elevations of up to 3,000 m (9,800 ft). It is solitary and gathers only in mating seasons. It relies on olfactory communication to communicate and uses scent marks on landmarks like rocks or trees. Females rear cubs for an average of 18 to 24 months. The oldest known giant panda was 38 years old. As a result of farming, deforestation and infrastructural development, the giant panda has been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived. The Fourth National Survey (2011–2014), published in 2015, estimated that the wild giant panda population aged over 1.5 years, excluding dependent young, had increased to 1,864 individuals; based on this number, and using the available estimated percentage of cubs in the population (9.6%), the total population comprised approximately 2,060 adult individuals as of 2018. Since 2016, it has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. In July 2021, Chinese authorities also classified the giant panda as vulnerable. It is a conservation-reliant species. By 2007, the captive population comprised 239 giant pandas in China and another 27 outside the country. The gestation period is not stated in the source.
Did You Know?
- The giant panda can digest starch and is mostly herbivorous with a diet consisting almost entirely of bamboo and bamboo shoots.
- The giant panda has the largest masticatory muscles among bears, being more than twice as large as those of the American black bear with an equivalent brain weight.
- The Qinling panda (A. m. qinlingensis) has a light brown and white pattern instead of the typical black and white.
- The oldest known giant panda was 38 years old.
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