When we think of giant pandas, we envision beautiful bears that are black and white. They’re cute and have a lot of fans around the world. But are you aware of pandas? Here are 15 fascinating giant panda facts that will aid you in understanding pandas.
An adult female panda weighs 200 pounds. Pandas can climb up to 13,000 feet, and they are excellent swimmers. Male pandas may take a break by performing handstands in front of trees.
A panda needs at least two species of bamboo in the area where it is found. Otherwise, it will be starving. Bamboo shortages threaten the already small panda population. Find out more facts about pandas here!!
Fun Panda Facts!
1. A panda’s year is equal to three human years.
A panda year is equal to around three human years of lifespan. Giant pandas can live between 18 and 20 years out in the open and 25-30 years in captivity. The oldest Giant Panda globally has been Xinxing (‘New Star’) in Chongqing Zoo at 38 years old and 4 months (1982-2020). It’s equivalent to the human lifespan of 115 years.
2. Pandas come with 6 “fingers”!
The Panda’s sixth “finger” is similar to human thumbs. It functions the same as a thumb, but it’s an uncommon wrist bone or an opposable paw heel with solid muscles but no joints that move, allowing it to grab food items.
Bamboo can be pressed into cigar-like shapes using their sixth digits to facilitate eating.
3. Pandas are known to abandon children in the event of twins.
Wild pandas generally have just one cub, whereas pandas in captivity are more likely to have twins. When mom pandas have two cubs, she’ll only feed the one she believes to be more potent in the wild. The other is left to take care of its own.
The reason is that a baby is extremely fragile. Cubs begin eating bamboo about 12 months old; however, they’re entirely dependent on the mother until that point. In nature, female pandas do not have enough milk or energy to take care of two cubs.
A cub is with her mother until she becomes pregnant again. This happens when the cub is about 1 year and a half old. If the mother doesn’t have a baby, the child will remain with its mother until two and one-half years old.
4. Pandas love climbing trees, and they can swim.
Giant pandas are great tree climbers. The pandas can climb a tree as young as seven months of age.
In the wild, the giant pandas (particularly cubs) climb trees to avoid their foes and observe their surroundings. Because it’s safer to be in a tree, giant pandas rest in trees.
Sometimes, they simply climb up to admire the view.
Bears are giant pandas, as are other bears. They can swim.
5. The two main activities of eating and sleeping comprise pandas’ day-to-day routine.
The average 45-kilos (100-pound) adult can go up to 12 hours eating between 12 and 38 kilograms (26-84 pounds) of bamboo per day. Pandas can weigh as much as 150 kilograms (330 pounds) in captivity and consume even more!
In the absence of eating and searching for food sources, pandas rest most of the time. The wild giant pandas lie down for between 2 and 4 hours between feedings.
6. Pandas are lonely.
Giant pandas are animals that live in solitude. They can have their territory in the wild, and they don’t allow the region to become a victim of pandas from other species.
The reason is that giant pandas feed on bamboo and don’t have to hunt together. They must eat lots of bamboos to satisfy their nutritional requirements. If giant pandas existed as a group, then there could be tension over how much bamboo, which could adversely affect the lives of all.
A panda generally requires the protection of its 3 to 8 square kilometres (1-3 sq miles) in bamboo forests to remain alive.
7. A panda can poop 28 kilos (62 lb) per day!
Most pandas’ diet is composed of bamboo; however, its digestive tract has carnivore traits. Giant pandas’ capacity to digest bamboo is relatively low at less than 20, and bamboo lacks nutrients. Therefore, to sustain their energy levels, pandas must consume a lot of bamboos and therefore have a lot of poop!
Giant pandas pee every 15 to 20 minutes. The majority of their feces are not digested bamboo.
There was a time when the locals created the undigested bamboo pieces from the poop into bookmarks and picture frames astonishingly; they didn’t stink!
8. Pandas were known to eat meat.
In the days when predators of enormous size like the sabre-toothed tigers had gone present, pandas did not have to be as swift and evolved into baboo-eating specialists to stay afloat and avoid becoming extinct.
They are often thought of for eating bamboo. However, they do eat certain fruits too and can take meat.
9. Pandas wear white and black coats.
Pandas have black and white coats that provide excellent camouflage. Pandas are required to spend most of their time searching for bamboo for food in their habitats. These include forests and mountains covered in snow. Their black and white colour assists them in avoiding unwanted attention.
The white colour of their coats aids pandas to hide from snow, while the black help them blend into the forest’s shadows.
10. Spring is the mating season for pandas.
Female giant pandas go through hot weather for a couple of days, typically between March and May of each year. The pregnancy can last for five months.
In the wild female giant pandas make unique sounds, such as baa or cow bark, during their fertile time in the male giant pandas, while male giant pandas leave scent-markers to attract female giant pandas.
Females are often paired with competitive males, and males will look for females to marry.
After mating, males and females live in separate areas, and female pandas build dens and rear young by themselves.
11. Pink Panda cubs.
A baby panda weighs less than 100 grams (3.5 pounds). They have no fur, are blind, and are pink. Their famous colour coat of white and black develops after three weeks.
Pandas typically appear in August; therefore, if you’d like to meet cute panda cubs, then visit in August.
Wrapping Up:
Hope you loved reading these cute panda facts!! Stay tuned for more animal facts! Don’t forget to share the post with your friends!
Have you checked out 10 + Interesting Facts About Panthers yet?
