Interesting facts about giant pandas!

Fact #1- Pandas rely on spatial memory, not visual memory.im

Fact #2 - Of all the members of the bear family, only sloth bears have longer tails than pandas.

Fact #3 - A panda’s paw has six digits – five fingers and an opposable pseudo-thumb (actually an enlarged wrist bone) it uses merely to hold bamboo while eating.

Fact #4 - The first panda came to the United States in 1936 – a cub to a zoo in Chicago. It took another 50 years before the States would see another.

Fact #5 - Approximately 99 percent of a panda’s diet – bamboo leaves and shoots.

Fact #6 - There are only about one thousand giant pandas left in western China.

Fact #7 - Scientific Name: Ailurus fulgens styani

Fact #8 -Pandas can't go without food for 5-6 hours.

Fact #9 -  Giant Pandas sit or lie down when they eat.

Fact #10 - Giant Panda mothers are 900 times bigger than their newborn cubs.

Communication

Giant pandas do not communicate the way other animals do. A panda's face cannot display facial expressions. With no crest or mane, there is nothing to stand upright. Ears aren't tall enough to cock forward, and tails are too stubby. Because of these limitations, pandas are forced to communicate using other methods such as scent marking.In addition to scent marking, giant pandas also communicate vocally. They have up to 11 different sounds. In order to intimidate another panda, they will make a barking sound. During the reproductive season, a mating pair will produce a goat-like bleating sound. Other sounds that have been witnessed include, bleating and honking, huffing, barking, and growling sounds.

Giant panda's diet

A wild giant panda’s diet is almost exclusively 99% bamboo. The balance consists of other grasses and occasional small rodents or musk deer fawns. In zoos, giant pandas eat bamboo, sugar cane, rice gruel, a special high-fiber biscuit, carrots, apples, and sweet potatoes.Wild giant pandas get much of the water they need from bamboo, a grass whose contents are about half water. New bamboo shoots are about 90 percent water. But giant pandas need more water than what bamboo alone can provide. So almost every day wild pandas also drink fresh water from rivers and streams.

Field trip

My Psychology class and I went to Zoo Atlanta in 2010. We are assigned to do a research for a specific animal. My animal was the giant panda. A question about the pandas came up to my mind when i first saw them on the discovery channel, the question is : "What will the pandas do when they're observed by humans?" As my teacher discussed about the project, i realized that this question would be perfect for the Ethogram.

I did some research and found out some common behavior that the giant panda will do when a human observes them. Here are the list of behaviors.

1) Climb bamboo

2) Cover themselves

3) Lay down

4) Bleat (vocalizing)

5) Roll on floor

6) Groom themselves

7) Play

8) Eat

9) Sit up right

10) Sticks his/her tongue out

The ethogram answered my question, giant pandas likes to climb the tree and hide when they are observed by human.

About Giant Pandas

The giant panda, a black-and-white bear, has a body typical of bears. It has black fur on ears, eye patches, muzzle, legs, and shoulders. The rest of the animal's coat is white. Giant pandas stand between two and three feet tall at the shoulder on all four legs legs, and reach four to six feet long.Giant pandas live in a few mountain ranges in central China, in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces.A wild panda spends much of its day resting, feeding, and seeking food. Unlike other bears from temperate climates, giant pandas do not hibernate.