This peaceful creature has a distinctive black and white coat, which is most adorable by the world and is considered as a national treasure in China. Also, giant panda has a special significance for WWF. It has been WWF’s logo since its foundation and active in its conservation since 1980.
Here are some interesting things about Giant Panda facts:
- Adult panda can grow up to 15cm, weighing between 100-150kg.
- Giant pandas live in the bamboo forests high in the mountains of western China. Many panda populations are isolated in narrow belts of bamboo no more than 1000-1200 meters in width.
- Pandas live about 20-25 years in the wild and up to 30 years in managed care.
- Newborn pandas are about 1/900th the size of its mother.
- Though pandas are carnivorous, they have adapted to vegetarian diet. 99% of the panda’s diet consists of bamboo. Panda’s digestive system cannot easily break down the cellulose in bamboo, so they digest less bamboo every day. So, panda needs to eat up to 40kg each day means they need to eat 14 hours a day.
- Giant Pandas reach sexual maturity at 5.5-6.5 years and the reproductive rate is about 1 young every 2 years.
- Presently only 61% of the population or about 980 pandas are under protection in reserves.
