The giant panda, or simply panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), is a species of bear endemic to China. It is considered a national symbol of the country with the largest population in the world.
Despite belonging to the bear family (Ursidae), which includes brown bears, polar bears, and black bears, pandas have many differences from their "brothers". First of all, in terms of appearance, they are easily recognized by the black patches around the eyes, on the ears, and on the extremities.
Although belonging to the carnivorous order (Carnivora), the giant panda's diet consists mainly of plants, with bamboo accounting for 99% of its food intake. Sometimes they are also observed in the wild eating wild grass, birds, and carrion. In captivity, they also eat honey, fish eggs, and fruits.
In the wild, giant pandas spend most of their time wandering and feeding in bamboo forests in mountainous areas. They do not hibernate like many other tropical mammals but instead move to warmer areas.
Adult giant pandas live solitary lives with a designated territory for each individual. They communicate through vocalizations and mark their territory by scratching trees or leaving urine scent marks.
Meetings between individual pandas occur mainly during the short breeding season between March and May. After mating, males leave females alone to raise the offspring. The gestation period of giant pandas ranges from 95 to 160 days.
.jpg)
Newborn pandas are red and weigh only 1-3 pounds, which is about 1/800th the weight of their mother (the smallest ratio among mammals with a placenta). About half of births are twin births, and in the wild, weaker cubs may die from hunger.
Panda cubs have a full coat of fur after one month, crawl after 75–80 days, begin to eat bamboo after six months, and can live independently at 18 months to two years of age. They reach sexual maturity between four to eight years old. The average weight of adult pandas is 100–115 kg.
In the wild, giant pandas live in several mountainous regions in central China, mainly in Sichuan but also appearing in Shaanxi and Gansu. A 2006 study showed that there are still about 2,000 to 3,000 of them. Although the population of pandas in the wild is increasing and breeding in artificial environments has been very successful, pandas are still classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List.
In addition to the wild population, there are also several hundred pandas living in captive conditions in China and dozens of other countries around the world. Many of them are gifts of diplomacy from China, often known internationally as the "panda diplomacy" policy.
.jpg)
For centuries, the classification of pandas has caused much controversy because this animal has characteristics of both bears and raccoons. Molecular studies have shown that they are a true bear species, although they separated from other bear species very early on in evolutionary history. There are two subspecies of pandas that have been recognized, the first is the scientific name Ailuropoda melanoleuca melanoleuca, which includes the majority of the current population of pandas. They are mainly found in Sichuan and have black and white fur. The other subspecies is the Qinling panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis), only found in the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi at an altitude of about 1,300–3,000 meters. They have "coffee milk" fur, a smaller skull, and larger jaw teeth.
Of all bear species, pandas are considered the most gentle. However, they can still attack and injure humans if provoked.
.jpg)
The image of pandas has been incorporated into the logo of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), with the prototype being a panda named Chi Chi, who was transferred from the Beijing Zoo to the London Zoo in 1958, three years before the establishment of WWF.
With their cute and harmless appearance, it is not surprising that pandas have many versions of papercraft.
Download and build your own:
