Giant Panda Bears

••• The Giant Panda is a member of the raccoon family, not the bear family. However, here is some information anyway.•••

Diet

Giant pandas eat mostly bamboo leaves. But, they may also eat other plants. Pandas eat 12 to 16 hours each day. The will eat up to 40 pounds of bamboo leaves and shoots a day.

Habits

Giant pandas stay in the same area where they eat large amounts of bamboo. They move slowly. When startled, they will move at a slow trot to escape danger. Pandas are very solitary animals. This means they like to be alone. Giant pandas do not hibernate.

Location (where in the world they are found)

The giant panda bear is found only in six small areas in China, on the continent of Asia.

Home (habitat where you find the bear)

Pandas are found in cold, damp, forests in the mountains. This is where bamboo, its main food, grows. Giant pandas share their habitat with other pandas.

Physical Description (what they look like)

The giant panda is a large mammal. The panda has white fur with black eye patches. They have a large head, heavy body, short tail, and rounded ears. They have large molars (teeth) used for crushing bamboo. Using their short claws, they can climb trees.

Giant Pandas are 5 to 6 feet long. They weigh 176 to 276 pounds.

Giant pandas live to be 25 years old.

Population (the number of bears that are alive)

There are 700 to 1,000 giant pandas still alive in the wild. Because they live on bamboo, they are in danger as the bamboo forests are cut down. They also are killed by poachers.

Fun Facts

• The Giant Panda is a member of the raccoon family, not the bear family.
• The Chinese name for the giant panda, (Xiongmao) means "giant cat bear".
• Pandas were kept as the pets of ancient Chinese emperors.
• Because pandas live near snow and rock, its coloring provides camouflage.
• The fur of pandas feels oily.
• They are the same size and shape of the American black bear.

Bear Index	Aquila's Home Page
Revised: 2/10/02	For information, contact John Dyer, Media Specialist, Aquila Primary Center. Copyright © 2002 John H. Dyer. Any use or redistribution of this information without permission is prohibited.