Ailuropoda melanoleuca
The giant panda (scientific name: Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a mammal belonging to the family Ursidae and the genus Ailuropoda, endemic to China. There are only two subspecies: the Sichuan subspecies and the Qinling subspecies. Females are 10-20% smaller than males. Head and body length is 1.2-1.8 meters, and tail length is 10-12 centimeters. Weight is 80-120 kilograms, with the heaviest reaching 180 kilograms. It has a stout, bear-like, and plump body. It has a round head, a plump body, and a short tail. Its body color is black and white, with dark black eye patches, earlobes, shoulders, and limbs, while the rest is milky white. It has round cheeks, large “black eye patches,” a distinctive pigeon-toed gait, and scalpel-like claws. The giant panda has thick skin, reaching up to 10 millimeters in some areas.
Living in dense bamboo forests at altitudes of 2600-3500 meters, giant pandas are adept at climbing trees and love to play. Climbing trees is generally a way for them to avoid danger, especially when courtship is approaching, or when they encounter each other; a weaker panda might use this behavior to avoid a stronger one. Giant pandas spend about half their day eating and the other half sleeping. In the wild, they sleep for 2-4 hours between meals. Bamboo makes up 99% of their diet, and there are over 60 species of bamboo in 12 genera that they can consume. Wild giant pandas have a lifespan of 18-20 years, while those in captivity can live over 30 years.
Giant pandas have lived on Earth for at least 8 million years and are hailed as “living fossils” and “China’s national treasure” (national animal). They are also the ambassador for the World Wildlife Fund and a flagship species for global biodiversity conservation. As of January 2024, China’s wild giant panda population had increased to nearly 1,900. As of October 2023, the total number of Chinese giant pandas residing abroad reached 63.
