Pandas Sample, PDF

What Are Pandas?

Pandas are wild animals that have bold black and white coats and rotund bodies and part of the family Ursidae, the common family name of bears. Although they belong with other carnivorous animals such as polar bears and grizzly brown bears, pandas are folivores, herbivores that specialize in eating leaves. That’s why pandas are famous for eating bamboo shoots, bamboo leaves, shrub leaves, wild tubers, and other grasses, as well as bananas, oranges, and yams.

Anthropologist Russell Ciochon stated from his case study analysis and observation that the giant panda has a lower metabolic rate due to its low body surface area to body volume. He added that the giant panda’s sedentary lifestyle helps in sustaining nutrient-poor resources like bamboo. Several reports revealed that the population of pandas has increased by 17% over the last decade alone. In 2016, pandas are not listed as endangered species anymore as they are placed in the vulnerable status on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Red List of Threatened Species.

Characteristics and Behaviors

The giant panda, red panda, and Qinling panda have different characteristics and behaviors. Giant pandas show their typical solid black and white contrasting colors while Qinling or brown pandas have light brown and white patterns and they are smaller than giant pandas and have bigger molars. On the other hand, red pandas or lesser pandas resemble raccoons because of their smaller size compared to the giant pandas and their reddish brown color. What are some major characteristics and behaviors of giant pandas?

Eating Habits: Giant pandas spend around 14 hours eating per day. They need 12 to 38 kilograms of food every day, almost 40% of their own weight. They mostly eat different parts of bamboo such as its leaves, stems, and shoots which are loaded with nutrients. They also consume fruits and vegetables like carrots, ginseng, and fungus. On the other hand, wild giant pandas consume insects, mice, grasses, and wild fruits, as well as lambs around the surrounding villages. Pandas need to eat 32-40 kilograms of food every day to maintain their energy needs. Sleeping Habits: These cute and fluffy giant pandas sleep 2 to 4 hours between their two meals. They usually lie flat on their backs, lie on their sides, lie on their stomachs, stretch their paws, and roll up like large fluffy balls. So, they spend most of their time sleeping. Tree Climbing: Pandas are fond of climbing trees whenever they want to such as running away from danger, evading stronger enemies, and even when proposing to their partners. They also love to walk into valleys and sneak into mountain villages as they play with round-shape objects and utensils and abandon them later on. Sometimes, pandas express their kindness to small animals like sheep and pigs when they share food and rooms with them.Scent Markings and Sounds: To communicate with other pandas, they use scent markings or leave their glandular secretions or urine on tree stumps, walls, and ground when they left their habitat so that their previous partners can find them during mating season. They will communicate with sounds that are barely recognized by humans after finding their partners. When they are playing, pandas remain silent. They also leave their scents when they divide or mark their territory. If they smell scents of newcomers during the non-mating season, the pandas would run away. During scent marking, pandas tend to shake their heads with their mouths half open and strip the tree barks where they mark to catch the attention of other pandas. Sometimes, they climb a tree backward with their hind feet until they are in a full handstand upside down position to leave their scent higher up.Docile Temperament: In most cases, giant pandas have a very docile temperament as they always lower their heads or cover their faces with front paws to hide their true appearances when they encounter a man for the first time. They always evade men or other animals when they come across them. However, they will get mad once the newcomers approach their cubs after they give birth. Solitariness: Pandas like being alone and isolated from each other. Male pandas live apart, except during the breeding season which takes place from March to May as they compete for female attention. The mother cubs usually raise the cubs alone. They sleep in the daytime and search for food at night.Reproduction: During the breeding season from March to May, female giant pandas go into the estrous cycle which lasts for two or three days and only happens once a year. When they mate, the male panda mounts the female panda from behind from 30 seconds to five minutes repeatedly. The gestation period is somewhere between 95 and 160 days. Female pandas usually give birth from July to September. Cute cubs were born in hidden hollow trees or natural dens prepared by the mother pandas. If the mother panda gave birth to twins, it usually chooses to take care of one and abandon the other.

Facts about Pandas

Native to South-Central China, pandas typically grow from 1.2 m to 1.9 m. When they are held in captivity, their average lifespan is 30 years. They typically weigh from 70 kg to 100 kg. About 1,864 wild pandas are still roaming in the wild, while 400 pandas are in captivity.

Bears with Thumbs: Pandas are the only bears that have special bones found on their wrists. They use their sixth toe to grasp bamboo. This bone function works similarly to the human thumb that’s why they can grip their bamboo.Panda Diplomacy: During the Tang Dynasty, China began offering its giant pandas as diplomatic gifts to other countries. For instance, the Tang dynasty Empress Wu Zetian sent pandas to Emperor Tenmu of Japan way back in the 6th century.No Hibernation: Most bears such as polar bears hibernate during the winter season. On the contrary, giant pandas don’t hibernate as they go down the mountains during winter to seek a warmer temperature. This is because giant pandas can’t store much fat since most of their diet is made up of bamboo.Distinct Color Pattern: Scientists tried their best to understand why giant pandas have one-of-a-kind black and white color patterns. They propose that the panda’s distinct dual color helps pandas to have perfect camouflage when they go in snowy and rocky environments. Digestive System of a Carnivore: Despite eating enormous amounts of bamboo, the bodies of the pandas are specialized to sustain their nutritional needs. They evolved to have a shorter gut which is commonly seen in carnivores. Although they mostly eat bamboo, leaves, fruits, and other vegetables, their digestive system enables them to metabolize all the key nutrients they need to survive. That’s why they need at least two different bamboo species in their range to prevent starvation.

How to Support Panda Conservation

Often, comical creatures like pandas are considered special because they symbolize the importance of wildlife conservation and habitat protection. Thus, panda conservation is essential to safeguard the enormous environment on which many people and animals mostly depend. If you want to support panda conservation, we provide some simple ways how you can help save pandas and other animals and plants.

Step 1: Research Pandas

Encourage your family and friends about the significance of pandas and other wild animals and plants. Take your time to learn and understand the background and characteristics of pandas. You may visit some websites that discuss saving pandas and wildlife conservation. Watch some educational videos about pandas on various video streaming apps and websites. Read some articles and books in your library about pandas.

Step 2: Minimize the Use of Chemicals

Make some product lists of your household items and chemical products. Try to minimize or avoid using herbicides, pesticides, and other chemical products that can be hazardous to the environment and affect wildlife at varying levels. Opt for organic herbicides and pesticides that contain ingredients that are safe for animals, plants, and the environment. Don’t dump paint, oil, or other chemicals which pollute the water and can harm people and wildlife.

Step 3: Donate to Wildlife Conservation Organizations

Express your concern and love for pandas by donating to wildlife conservation organizations like WWF. For example, go to the WWF website and find the “Show a Panda Some Love” page where you can donate $50.00 to support the efforts of WWF in protecting the wildlife habitat for giant pandas in China.

Step 4: Adopt a Panda

Some wildlife organizations like WWF offer people who are interested to support wildlife conservation. Check their website and click the Adopt an Animal Now page where you can fill up their forms and help by adopting a panda.


FAQs

Are pandas fat or fluffy?

Pandas are chubby. They have extraordinarily soft and flexible bodies.

Are pandas friendly to humans?

Despite being cuddly and quiet animals, pandas have a dangerous side when they feel threatened. Generally, they avoid confrontation but if they are provoked, they have sharp claws and teeth that they use to attack others so that they can protect themselves or their cubs.

How many pandas exist?

There are about 1,800 to 2,000 giant pandas exist in the world. 

Do baby pandas cry?

Cute baby pandas cry loudly to let their mother know easily where to find them.

Why do pandas have black eyes?

Pandas have black eyes because they try to balance their coloration pattern to be camouflaged in different types of environments. Their dark eyes can be deceiving to other animals so they can hide in the environments they come across. 

Do red pandas exist?

Red pandas live mostly in the Eastern Himalayas in places located in China, Bhutan, and Nepal.

Do giant pandas hurt humans?

When infuriated or frightened, giant pandas may attack humans. But they are usually very gentle. During clinical work, giant panda attacks are rare.

Why are pandas rare?

Pandas are so rare because of habitat loss. Many forests are destroyed due to climate change, deforestation, and wildfires. The loss of forests also reduces the access of pandas to the bamboo they need to survive. Based on some reports, only around 67% of the total wild panda population lives in reserves, and 54% of the total habitat area is protected.

Pandas are integral to our environment as they help keep the mountain forests healthy when they scatter seeds in their droppings which significantly helps vegetation to thrive. Being a wildlife conservation icon, pandas contributed to forested habitats around the world where local people can get their basic needs such as food, fuel, and income. Motivate others to help conserve pandas and other wild animals, plants, and habitats. Sample.net offers diverse PDF document templates that you can easily use for your informative thesis statement, thesis project proposal, undergraduate thesis proposal, persuasive essay, questionnaire checklist, and other documents about pandas.