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Habits of the Giant Panda

Giant pandas are large black and white bears found in China. Listed as endangered, there are only between 1,600 and 2,000 Giant pandas left in the wild. These bears differ from other bears, such as Grizzly bears, not only in their coloring and habitat, but also their habits--making them an interesting animal to study.

Habitat
- Giant pandas are found in central China, living in broadleaf or coniferous forests. Although the pandas once lived throughout the lowlands, as well as the highlands, they are now found only in the mountainous regions--at elevations between 5,000 and 10,000 feet. The forests are filled with dense populations of bamboo, which the Giant pandas eat.
Feeding Habits
- Although their digestive systems more closely resemble that of a carnivore's, Giant pandas are mainly herbivores. This makes their digestion very inefficient, and means they must eat a lot in order to gain enough nutrients. Bamboo makes up nearly all of this large diet. Eating between 20 and 40 pounds of bamboo each day takes up most of their time--10 to 16 hours--and they usually spend the rest of the time sleeping. Giant pandas supplement their diets with other grass types and drink from streams or rivers, to quench thirst. They will also sometimes eat small birds or rodents. In captive environments, such as zoos, pandas eat fibrous biscuits and fruits as well.
Social Habits
- Giant pandas are solitary animals. They stay away from each other for most of the time, only coming together to breed. However, they do communicate with each other in indirect ways. Pandas will call to each other or leave scent marks for other pandas. These scent marks and calls help male pandas avoid each others territory.
Reproduction
- In the spring, mature male pandas, between four- and 20-years-old, search for mature females by using their acute sense of smell. Male and female pandas also use vocalization in order to find each other. Females only ovulate for a couple days each spring, so timing is critical. After 95 to 160 days, the female panda will give birth. Usually only one cub is born, although pandas sometimes give birth to twins. As female pandas can only look after one cub at a time, it's most likely that only one cub will survive in these situations. Young pandas stay with their mother between one and three years, before striking out on their own.

Animals & Science