The panda bear, whose scientific name is Ailuropada Melanoleuca, is a large mammal that lives in mountainous areas of China and Tibet. Although its beauty and robust body are admired by all animal lovers, unfortunately, this animal is in danger of extinction.
One of the peculiarities of this mammal is that, unlike other bears, it does not suffer any hibernation period, although it is true that during the summer it usually ascends to the highest areas of the mountain (in occasions 3.000 meters of altitude) and during the winter they tend to descend in search of a warmer environment.
If you want to discover more about this fascinating animal, in this article on our site we talk about the feeding of the panda bear.
The nutritional requirements of the panda bear
The panda bear is an omnivorous animal, this means that it consumes any type of organic substance, whether of animal or vegetable origin, although as we will see, most of the panda's diet is based on food of plant origin.
The panda bear can weigh approximately 130 kilograms, although the average weight ranges between 100 and 115. In order to cover the energy needs of such a robust organism, the panda bearcan spend between 10 and 12 hours a day feeding , in addition, its appetite is practically insatiable.
The panda bear bases 99% of its diet on bamboo intake and so that this food can cover all its nutritional needs the panda bear will need to consume approximately 12.5 kilograms of bamboo per day, although in fact it can ingest up to 40 kilos, of which approximately 23 will be expelled in the form of defecation, since the digestive system of the bear is not fully prepared to assimilate the cellulose molecules that make up bamboo.
What does the panda bear eat?
As we have mentioned before, the most basic and essential food in their diet is bamboo, and in their habitat, mountainous, stable and humid, more than 200 species of bamboo can be found, although it is estimated that the panda bear only uses 30 species to cover the energy supply it needs.
Although it is mostly herbivorous, it may include some animals in its diet, such as eggs, insects, rodents and hatchlings. deer.
How do pandas eat?
The panda bear is endowed with strong teeth and a jaw which allows it to crush bamboo trunks and extract their pulp, as well as, they have a sixth finger that is actually an adaptation of the wrist bone, thanks to it, they have an even easier time obtaining their food.
Those same physical structures are what allow him to hunt when necessary to obtain the remaining 1% of his diet, which consists of nutrients of animal origin.
The life of the panda bear, eating and sleeping
Due to their large appetites, lack of hibernation, and because they are not ready to get all the nutrients from bamboo, panda bears can spend up to 14 hours a day eating, which is especially easy for them since they have the peculiarity of being able to eat sitting down
The rest of the time they spend sleeping, and once they get up, they start looking for food again to satisfy their appetite, this process is always carried out done solitary, since the bear is an animal that is only accompanied by its own species during the breeding season.
