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Animal World
Giant Panda — photograph 1
📷 Wikimedia Commons · Free License
IUCN: Vulnerable

Giant Panda

Ailuropoda melanoleuca

KingdomAnimalia›PhylumChordata›ClassMammalia›OrderCarnivora›FamilyUrsidae›GenusAiluropoda
About

The giant panda, 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 and are typically 1. 2 to 1. 9 m 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.

Key Facts
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Habitat
Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests of southwest China
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Diet
Primarily bamboo (99% of diet); 12–38 kg daily
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Size & Weight
120–190 cm; 70–125 kg
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Lifespan
20 years wild; up to 35 in captivity
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Range
Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, China
MammalBear
Photo Credits
#1Wikimedia Commons · Free License
#2Melina Kolburn · CC BY-SA 4.0
#3William Crochot · CC BY-SA 4.0
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