Giant Panda - Ailuropoda melanoleuca
Desricption:
Giant Panda, unusual and primitive bear found only in China. It was for a long time misclassified as a member of the raccoon family, but now is accepted as a separate bear genus Ailuropoda, in a separate bear subfamily Ailuropodinae. Its status may be the most precarious of all the bears, because giant pandas are restricted to a small area of extreme, western China.World interest, and research funds from many nations, have improved the giant panda's status, but the species remains very vulnerable to the impact of human civilizations.
The giant panda is a large bear, with females weighing 70 to 100 kg (154 to 220 lb) and males weighing 85 to 125 kg (187 to 276 lb), depending on the season. It has a dramatic black-and-white pattern coloration to its fur which gives it a distinctive appearance. It has black markings on the ears, limbs, shoulders, and around the eyes.
The tail is stubby. Its so-called sixth digit on its forefeet is really not a digit or claw, but an enlarged wrist bone (an extension on the radial sesamoid), and it functions as a thumb in grasping food.
Breeding takes place from March to May, and the young are born three to six months later, weighing only 85 to 140 g (3 to 5 oz). Two may be born, but usually only one survives. They require great care by the mothers, and losses of the young are a serious problem in recovery and management of these endangered animals.
The habitats of the family groups and subadult survival are still poorly understood, but some are known to use dens and hollow trees. These animals are fairly solitary for most of the year; they do not hibernate; and do not "roar", as other bears do-their call is a bleat.
Giant pandas seem to live isolated lives, but in loose groups of females in the dominant male's range. Each female panda has a small territory in which other females are not welcome, and the territories of the males may overlap.
The young, though almost helpless, elicit care with very loud calls. Occasionally, when starving, giant pandas may raid gardens or crops, and even eat chickens, but they are little threat to people, except in close encounters.
Environment:
In the mountains of bamboo forests in ChinaFood:
Entirely on bambooProblem:
Due to human development and land destruction, pandas have very little to goanywhere. And only the few places left in the wild, are packed with to many pandas.
Solution:
Many zoos are trying to breed the panda from extinction. But sadly, this hasn't been sucessful due to they only breed between March and May.
Information provided by: http://members.optusnet.com.au.