The panda is the teddy bear that we all wish we had. Their furry, plump bodies and good-natured expression inspire great tenderness. Even the toughest man could open his heart to a panda bear hug.
This species of bear, although it seems that it drank from the fountain of youth because it always looks young and rosy, is in fact a truly ancient creature that has inhabited our planet for more than 2 million years. However, unfortunately, its population has drastically decreased in recent decades, to the point of only 1000 individuals left in the world.
Do you want to know more about the animal considered the most adorable on the planet? How is he, his habits and way of being? Continue reading this article on our site where you will discover 10 panda curiosities.
1. The carnivore that likes bamboo
Although the panda bear is considered a carnivorous animal, its favorite food is bamboo. It is a great devourer of this plant, to the point that can spend more than half a day just savoring and tasting it Every day a panda needs to eat at least12 kilos of bamboo to cover your food needs.
It especially loves the stems, and because they have a very slow and limited digestive system, the panda must always eat sitting down, little by little and with special attention. However, these bears are not at all sedentary, they really enjoy climbing trees and swimming.
two. Blind and white
Panda bears at birth they are blind and their skin is between white and pink, this is due to a chemical reaction between the skin of the newborn and the saliva of the mother. Over time they take on the black spots that make them so irresistible, especially the black circles on their eyes, ears and legs.
3. Panda's Home
Panda bears are Chinese. The few that remain live happily, wildly and relaxedly eating bamboo in the remote mountainous regions of ChinaThe weather there is cool and humid (his favorite weather). In the summer they are seen ascending up to 4,000 meters of altitude to search for food in the highest areas, where the temperature manages to drop.
4. Lonely Animals
Pandas like to go through life alone. They are like chubby monks who go on a pilgrimage through the mountains and stop only to eat and relax (as if meditating). The interesting thing is that they have a highly developed sense of smell which they use to avoid other males, sensing their presence and moving away from it. They then use that same ability to find the female to mate with. Clever pandas!
5. Do panda bears hibernate?
The answer is no, unlike their bear brothers and cousins, pandas cannot hibernate. The first reason is that they are already considered "subtropical" animals and then, the second reason, is that since their diet is based on bamboo and some other animals such as birds and rodents, this does not allow them to accumulate large deposits of fat in their Body. The giant panda can't take a vacation just by sleeping through the winter.
6. They have few offspring
Pandas, unknowingly, certainly do not help their offspring to continue on planet Earth. The female pandas are able to mate only two or three days a year and the male pandas who tend to be a bit clumsy and because they lack practice, they have not developed much reproductive sexual ability. Pandas reach sexual maturity between five and seven years of age. Some may take years to have offspring.
7. Respectful Creatures
Panda bears do not like conflict with members of their own species, and to avoid territorial-type confrontations, mark their spacewith a combination of odors produced by urine, anal gland and claw marks. In a nutshell, they respect each other's space by not using shared areas or getting in the way of off limits.
8. From minimal to massive
Pandas at birth weigh only 30 grams, they are very small and practically fit in a large hand. After a year and as if by magic, the pandas go from being the size of a stick of butter to becoming a chubby 50 kilo cuddly toy. At maturity they can reach almost 2 meters in height and weigh between 70 and 125 kilos
9. Danger of extinction
On our site we respect and value all animal life and we are interested in telling our readers about their current state of conservation. As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, today, there are only approximately 1000 free panda bears left in the world.
The panda bear is an animal in serious danger of extinction due to various factors, among which: the destruction of its natural habitat due to the excessive felling of bamboo forests, the difficulty in reproducing when they find themselves in a state of captivity (if they are already shy in the wild, imagine confined) and finally their disappearance due to cruel and illegal hunting.
10. Panda bear numbers
- A panda lives an average of 12 to 20 years.
- Panda cubs spend only 5 months inside their mother's womb.
- Every 25 years of a panda bear represents 100 years of human life.
- Another 100 pandas live confined in zoos around the world, where they are not considered a free creature with rights, but an attraction.
- Although its maximum weight is usually around 125 kg, it can weigh up to 150 kilograms
- Unlike their other bear cousins, pandas have 6 digits, 5 fingers and 1 kind of thumb.
