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ARE PANDAS REALLY BEARS???

PANDA BEARS

The giant panda is so rare that there are thought
to be only about 1,000 in the entire world.
It is listed as an endangered species and has been
seen in the wild only in the mountains of central china
and eastern tibet.

The name panda applies to either of two East Asian animals.
Although they are sometimes considered to be relatives,
the giant panda is generally classified as a bear,
and the red, or common, panda, is placed in the raccoon family.

The giant panda is about 4 to 5 feet long from the tip
of its nose to its rump, and it has a stubby tail.
Adults weigh about 165 to 350 pounds.
They have a thick, woolly, white coat with black fur
on the legs and ears. The animals are distinguished by black eye patches and a black band across the shoulders.

Giant pandas usually live alone in bamboo forests.
They are mainly ground dwellers, using caves, hollow trees,
or rock crevices for shelter, but they can climb trees as well.
The giant panda feeds chiefly on bamboo shoots and roots,
grasping the slender stems with the aid of a special
thumblike structure on its front feet.
Because they sometimes eat small animals,
they are classed as carnivores.

The breeding season of the giant panda extends
from March to May. One or two cubs are born each year.
They are covered with sparse white fur and attain the
species' distinctive black-and-white coloration
by the end of the first month.
They leave the mother at about six months of age
and reach sexual maturity after six or seven years.

Giant pandas are popular zoo animals,
but they are extremely difficult to breed.
In 1980 there were about 40 in captivity in China
and about 13 in other countries.