Giant panda

A giant panda.

Pandamonium, a fictional panda from Extinctioners.

Po, a fictional anthropomorphic giant panda from Kung Fu Panda.

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca "black-and-white cat-foot") is a mammal now usually classified in the bear family (Ursidae), that is native to central China.

Easily recognizable through its large, distinctive black patches on the eyes, ears and on its rotund body, the giant panda is one of the most endangered animals in the world: an estimated 1,600 pandas live in the wild and some 160 of them live in captivity, according to a 2004 census. [1]

General information

The giant panda lives in mountainous regions, like Sichuan and Tibet.

Despite being taxonomically a carnivore, their diet is overwhelmingly herbivorous. The giant panda eats shoots and leaves, living almost entirely on bamboo. Pandas are also known to eat eggs and some insects along with their bamboo diet. These are necessary sources of protein. Pandas find bamboo hard to digest.

For many decades the precise taxonomic classification of the panda was under debate as both the giant panda and the distantly related red panda share characteristics of both bears and raccoons. However, genetic testing has revealed that giant pandas are true bears and part of the Ursidae family, though it differentiated earlier in history than most ursines and could be considered a living fossil. Its closest extant relative is the Andean bear.

The giant panda has an unusual paw, with a "thumb" and five fingers; the "thumb" is actually a modified wrist bone. The giant panda has a short tail, approximately 15 cm long.

Giant panda and furry

Giant pandas are a common selection when someone is looking for a character or fursona from the Far East.

See also

• panda characters
• Giant panda on Wikipedia