Endangered Species
Giant Panda
Ailuropoda melanoleuca
Giant pandas are found only in the mountains of central China -- in
small isolated areas of the north and central portions of the Sichuan Province, in the
mountains bordering the southernmost part of Gansu Province, and in the Qinling Mountains
of the Shaanxi Province.
Giant pandas live in dense bamboo and coniferous forests at altitudes of 5,000 to 10,000
feet. The mountains are shrouded in heavy clouds with torrential rains or dense mist
throughout the year.
Giant pandas have existed since the Pleistocene Era (about 600,000 years ago), when their
geographic range extended throughout southern China. Fossil remains also have been found
in present-day Burma.
Giant pandas are bear-like in shape with striking black and white markings. The ears, eye
patches, legs, and shoulder band are black; the rest of the body is whitish. They have a
thick, woolly coat to insulate them from the cold. Adults are 4 to 6 feet long and may
weigh up to 350 pounds -- about the same size as the American black bear. However, unlike
the black bear, giant pandas do not hibernate and cannot walk on their hind legs.
The giant panda has unique front paws -- one of the wrist bones is enlarged and elongated
and is used like a thumb, enabling the giant panda to grasp stalks of bamboo. They also
have very powerful jaws and teeth to crush bamboo. While bamboo stalks and roots make up
about 95 percent of its diet, the giant panda also feeds on gentians, irises, crocuses,
fish, and occasionally small rodents. It must eat 20 to 40 pounds of food each day to
survive, and spends 10 to 16 hours a day feeding.
The giant panda reaches breeding maturity between 4 and 10 years of age. Mating usually
takes place in the spring, and 3 to 5 months later, one or two cubs weighing 3 to 5 ounces
each is born in a sheltered den. Usually only one cub survives. The eyes open at 1 1/2 to
2 months and the cub becomes mobile at approximately 3 months of age. At 12 months the cub
becomes totally independent. While their average life span in the wild is about 15 years,
giant pandas in captivity have been known to live into their 20s.
Scientists have debated for more than a century whether giant pandas belong to the bear
family, the raccoon family, or a separate family of their own. This is because the giant
panda and its cousin, the lesser or red panda, share many characteristics with both bears
and raccoons. Recent DNA analysis indicates that giant pandas are more closely related to
bears and red pandas are more closely related to raccoons. Accordingly, giant pandas are
categorized in the bear family (Ursidae) while red pandas are categorized in the raccoon
family (Procyonidae).
In 1869, a French missionary and naturalist named Pere Armand David was the first European
to describe the giant panda. In 1936, clothing designer Ruth Harkness brought the first
live giant panda, named Su-Lin, out of China and to the West. Su-Lin lived at Chicago's
Brookfield Zoo and was a celebrity until he died in 1938. Today, more than 100 giant
pandas are found in Chinese zoos, and several others are housed in North Korean zoos. Only
about 15 giant pandas live in zoos outside of China and North Korea. In 1980, the first
giant panda birth outside China occurred at the Mexico City Zoo.
Until recently, Washington, DC's National Zoo housed Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing, perhaps
the most well-known giant pandas in North America. A gift from the People's Republic of
China to the people of the United States, they were presented as a gesture of amity and
goodwill to President Richard Nixon when he visited China in 1972. Ling-Ling, at age 23,
died in December 1992.
Giant pandas are among the rarest mammals in the world -- there are probably fewer than
1,000 left in the wild. Although adult giant pandas have few natural enemies, the young
are sometimes preyed upon by leopards.
Habitat encroachment and destruction are the greatest threats to the continued existence
of the giant panda. This is mainly because of the demand for land and natural resources by
China's 1 billion inhabitants. To offset this situation, the Chinese government has set
aside 11 nature preserves where bamboo flourishes and giant pandas are known to live.
Giant pandas are also susceptible to poaching, or illegal killing, as their dense fur
carries a high price in illegal markets in the Far East. The Chinese government has
imposed life sentences for those convicted of poaching giant pandas.
The low reproductive capacity of the giant panda makes it more vulnerable to these
threats, and less capable of rebounding from its low numbers.
In 1984, due to its dwindling numbers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the giant
panda as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. This means it is
considered in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
This protection also prohibits giant pandas from being imported into the U.S. except under
certain conditions.
The giant panda is also protected under the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a treaty among more than 120 nations
aimed at controlling illegal trade in endangered animal and plant species. The U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service is the is the federal agency responsible for the U.S. government's
compliance with CITES.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also supports panda conservation efforts in China
through funding and technical assistance that includes resource management, research, and
educational programs.
Scientists continue to study ways to improve breeding success in captivity and increase
wild giant panda populations in order to ensure their continued survival.
Some interesting things you will find at www.panda.org and much more.
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Created: 4/4/97 Updated: 04/18/01
