Pandas

Despite the popularity and familiarity of the giant panda to most people, and its status as an endangered species, much is still unknown about its biology and ecology. Researchers working in the Chinese mountain-forest preserves where the remaining wild pandas live are hoping to correct this, and to increase the chances of saving the species from extinction.

Giant pandas are large, heavy-set animals with distinctive coloration: white fur with black or brownish black patches on their legs, shoulders, ears, and around the eyes. Fully-grown giant pandas measure 4-5 ft (1.2-1.5 m) from nose to rump and weigh 156-350 lb (75-160 kg). The habitat of giant pandas is sub-alpine spruce-fir-bamboo A giant panda in China. JLM Visuals. Reproduced by permission.
forest in eastern China, at altitudes of 8,200-11,500 ft (2,500-3,500 m) above sea level. Adults are solitary, except females with offspring, and they den in tree holes, small caves, or crevices in rocky slopes. Although their diet consists largely of bamboo stems and leaves, pandas also eat other plant material (such as iris, crocus, vines, grasses, and tree bark), as well as some meat. To obtain sufficient nutrition from their fibrous foods, pandas spend 10-14 hours per day eating up to 80 lb (36 kg) of plant material, mostly bamboo.