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Sexual maturity ranges between the ages of 4 & 8 and may be reproductive until age 20.
Because Female pandas ovulate only once a year & are fertile for only 2 or 3 days, the male may mount her repeatedly to ensure successful fertilization. CLICK
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Giant Pandas give birth to twins in about half of pregnancies. If twins are born, usually only one survives in the wild.
The mother will select the stronger of the cubs, and the weaker will die. CLICK
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Baby pandas are born pink & measure about 15cm. That’s about the length of a pencil or comparable to the length of a stick of butter.
They are also born toothless & blind & only open their eyes 6-8 weeks after birth. It nurses from its mother's breast 6-14 times a day for up to 30 mins at a time. CLICK
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The first panda came to the United States in 1936. It was a cub at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. CLICK
(Woman explorer, Ruth Harkness, brought the first live panda (named Su-Lin) into the United States, when she returned from an expedition, on December 18, 1936. CLICK
Here she is seen in the Brookfield Zoo, in the Chicago suburb of Brookfield, Illinois, where she is playing with a second baby panda (named Mei Mei) that she acquired in 1937.
It took another 50 years before the States would see another.
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Giant pandas are black & white bears.
In the wild, they are found in thick bamboo forests, high up in the mountains of central China. CLICK
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A panda’s paw has 6 digits—5 fingers & an opposable pseudo-thumb
(actually an enlarged wrist bone) it uses merely to hold bamboo while eating. CLICK
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These magnificent mammals are omnivores. But whilst pandas will occasionally eat small animals and fish, bamboo counts for 99% of their diet.
Its carnivore-adapted digestive system cannot digest cellulose well, thus it lives a low-energy, sedentary lifestyle but persists in eating some 60 species of bamboo.
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Every day they fill their tummies for up to 12 hours
with about 30 pounds of bamboo just to stay full.
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Giant pandas grow to between 4-5 ft & weigh between 165-298 lbs.
Scientists aren’t sure how long pandas live in the wild, but in captivity they live to be around 30 years old. CLICK
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The World Wildlife Fund logo was inspired by Chi-Chi,
a giant panda brought to the London Zoo in 1961, when WWF was being created. CLICK
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Peter Scott was one of those founders & the man who sketched the first logo.
"We wanted an animal that is beautiful, is endangered and one loved by many people in the world for its appealing qualities. We also wanted an animal that had an impact in black and white to save money on printing costs." CLICK
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Sadly, these beautiful bears are threatened, and it’s estimated that only around 1,600 remain in the wild. That’s why we need to do all we can to protect them!
Humans and destruction of habitat now pose the biggest threat to giant pandas.
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This includes erosion of habitat due to clearing of areas for crop cultivation, and natural die-back of bamboo.
The presence of built up areas prevent giant pandas from moving to new areas, so loss of bamboo forests mean many will starve. CLICK
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There are many ways you can help. CLICK
AND JUST IN CASE YOU'RE NOT CONVINCED THAT THEY DESERVE YOUR HELP... CLICK
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