The lovable and charismatic giant panda is one of the most popular animals in the world. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most endangered. It is estimated that as few as 1,000 pandas remain in the wild today.
Giant pandas are biologically unique. Though they are closely related to bears and have a digestive system of a carnivore, long ago they adapted to a vegetarian diet and unlike their omnivorous cousins, depend almost exclusively on bamboo as a food source. Not designed to process plant matter, the panda's digestive system cannot easily break down the cellulose in bamboo, so pandas must eat huge amounts - as much as 83 lbs., and for up to 14 hours, each day. This means the panda's survival is inextricably linked to constant access to good feeding areas.
Unlike other bears, pandas do not hibernate. At birth, panda cubs weigh only about as much as a quarter-pound stick of butter (90-130 grams) and have little fur. Adults can weigh more than 220 pounds. A panda's average life span is 10-15 years in the wild and up to 30 in captivity.
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