8,500 to 11,500 feet in elevation

solitary animals

pandas do not hibernate

move to lower elevations to keep warm

do not have permanent homes

their five fingers and a special wristbone

1,600 giant pandas survive on Earth.

Females give birth to one or two cubs

care for only one of the young

eat 25 different types of bamboo

4 or 5 kinds that grow in their home range

China has more than one billion people

national treasure in China and is therefore protected by law

confirmed the panda's relationship with bears

Giant pandas start out small

pandas "large bear-cats."

can be as dangerous as any other bear

two and three feet tall on all four legs, and reach four to six feet in length

males are heavier than females, weighing up to 250 pounds. Females rarely reach 220 pounds

reported zoo pandas as old as 35 years.

99 percent bamboo

rare occasions, other grasses and animal carcasses

In zoos, giant pandas eat bamboo, sugar cane, rice gruel, a special high-fiber biscuit, carrots, apples, and sweet potatoes.

Offspring may stay with their mothers from one and a half to three years

usually eats sitting upright

digestive system is more like that of a carnivore than an herbivore

from 20 to 40 pounds of bamboo each day

10 to 16 hours a day foraging and eating

wild panda spends much of its day resting, feeding, and seeking food

At birth, a panda cub is helpless

newborn weighs three to five ounces

Pink, hairless, and blind, the cub is 1/900th the size of its mother

4,000 square miles and over 45 percent of remaining giant panda habitat

around 61 percent of the population, or about 980 pandas, are under protection in reserves

1,600 individuals estimated to remain in the wild.

white coat with black fur around their eyes, on their ears, muzzle, legs and shoulders

The unique physical features of the species include broad, flat molars and an enlarged wrist bone that functions as an opposable thumb

Giant pandas are classified as bears

5 feet long from nose to rump, with a 4-6 inch tail

adult panda can weigh about 220-330 pounds

habitat is found at the top of the Yangtze Basin

symbol of peace in China

Female pandas are called sows

males are called boars

young are called cubs

Most bears' eyes have round pupils

giant panda, whose pupils are vertical slits

Pandas have very good eyesight

largest pandas grow to be about 250 pounds

5.25 to 6 feet (1.6 to 1.8 m) long

weighs about 220 pounds

40 pounds (18 kg) of food each day

Bamboo is very low in nutrition

cannot digest it very well

12 hours every day

throat and stomach have extra-tough linings to protect them from the tough food

captivity (zoos and breeding centers), pandas eat bamboo, rice cereal, carrots, apples, and sweet potatoes

usually eat while sitting in an upright positio

strong teeth and jaws are very important to a panda's survival

Giant pandas have large molars (flat teeth used for crushing food)

few sharp teeth which they use to bite tough bamboo stalks

Pandas have 42 teeth

very thick, oily, woolly fur

two types of hairs

long, thick, coarse hairs

fur is waterproof

shorter, fine, dense underfur

endangered species

roughly 1,000-1,500 pandas living in the wild (in China)

120 living in zoos and breeding centers around the world

extremely vulnerable to extinction because of humans

mostly shy, solitary animals

mostly silent, but they can bleat!

11 different calls, four of which are only used during mating

live longer in captivity than in the wild

Unlike many other bears, pandas cannot walk on their hind legs

do not hibernate since their food is available all year long

During the cold winter months, giant pandas go to lower altitudes where it is a bit warmer

don't seem to have permanent dens

very slow reproductive rate

mate in the spring

give birth between 95 and 160 days after mating

25 years or more.

six small areas located in inland China

fifteen different kinds of Bamboo

12 to 16 hours a day

22 to 40 pounds of Bamboo each day

sold for $100,000 dollars.

pink when they are born.

1,000 individuals in the wild.

110 pandas in captivity

20 and 40 lbs of food per day

16 hours eating

eat other plants, fish, pika and other small rodents.

danger of extinction.

do not hibernate

born they are blind and very small

3 to 4 1/2 ounces

start out with fine white fur

colored fur within a month of birth

eating bamboo by the time they are 5 to 6 months

one year of age, the cubs normally weigh about 75 pounds of bamboo

Female giant panda bears do not normally mature until they are 5 to 7 years

Mating begins in late-March and continues on into May

Females may mate with several males during the breeding season