Giant Pandas

Giant Pandas are a species of bear, which is a little confusing given their name! They are quite big and covered in black and white fur. Most of their body is covered in white fur and then their arms, shoulders and legs are black. They also have black ears and black patches around their eyes.

Male Giant Pandas are about one and a half metres tall, that’s about 5 feet, so they are a bit smaller than most humans. Female Giant Pandas are a bit smaller than a male.

Giant Pandas live in bamboo forests in the mountains in China. They are not found in the wild anywhere else.

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Giant Pandas have been listed as endangered for many years as there were so few of them left in the wild. But their listing was changed in 2021 from endangered to vulnerable because of amazing conservation efforts.

The main reason why Giant Pandas were endangered was because people were destroying their habitat. They were building on it, splitting it up by building roads so they couldn’t meet up with each other and got rid of the food they eat so much of.

By changing this and increasing the size of their habitat again has meant that the number of them in the wild has increased, showing humans can undo the damage they’ve done and really help to save endangered species. Most Giant Pandas now live in reserves, which are protected areas for animals to live more safely in. The number of Giant Pandas in the wild is still actually increasing which is amazing! There is thought to be less than 2000 of them living in the wild however and they still need to be protected.

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Giant Pandas are omnivores but they survive on a mostly herbivore based diet. Giant Pandas mainly eat bamboo, in fact it makes up 99% of their diet. Bamboo isn’t very filling, especially for such a big bear! So Giant Pandas spend a long time eating during the day to fill themselves up. They do occasionally eat other things such as small birds, animals or fish.

Giant Pandas spend most of their time alone and prefer to be by themselves instead of with other Giant Pandas. They are very shy creatures and scientists don’t know a lot about them from the wild as the Giant Pandas hide from them! When cubs are born they are well looked after, staying with their mum for up to about three years, although some venture off before this. They are very reliant on their mother to begin with as they are tiny when born. They are also blind and only open their eyes after about 6 weeks.

Giant Pandas spend most of their time on the ground, but they are very good climbers and can climb a tree easily. They are also really good swimmers. Unlike some bears, Giant Pandas don’t hibernate, instead they move lower down the mountains where they live so it is a bit warmer.

What we've learnt...

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I wonder...what was your favourite fact?

Giant Pandas used to be endangered. They are now listed as vulnerable because of conservation efforts. There is still less the 2000 Giant Pandas in the wild.

Giant Pandas are a species of bear.

Giant Pandas live in mountain habitats in China that are covered in bamboo forests.

Giant Pandas prefer to be by themselves but take good care of their cubs.

Giant Pandas are omnivores but manly eat bamboo.