You are probably already aware that one of China’s national treasures are their beautiful but endangered Panda Bears. These beautiful bears can be found at the zoos in Shanghai and Beijing, and at places like the Giant Panda Breeding and Research Base in Chengdu, or at the Wolong Nature Reserve in the Sichuan Province. In the United States, pandas can be seen at the National Zoo and the San Diego Zoo. Visitors can view the bears eating, sleeping and playing.

Giant Pandas are large, like most bears, but they typically have thick black and white fur with a short tail. The areas around a giant pandas eyes, ears, legs and shoulders and are black, while rest of their body is covered in white fur. The bears have very good eyesight. They also have strong jaws and teeth so that they can chew tough foods like bamboo shoots. Giant pandas have a special bones in their hand that works like an opposable thumb to aid in holding their food.

The pandas are native to only about six small locations in China. They live in the high mountainous areas near the center and southwest of China, among forests full of bamboo. The weather is mostly cloudy, rainy and misty throughout the year. The famous Chengdu Breeding Giant Panda Research is found on the mountain of Fu Tou. Giant pandas are considered carnivores, but the bears diet in the wild consists of almost all bamboo. It is by far the favorite food of a giant panda. However, bamboo is very low in nutrition, meaning a giant pand will need to eat for 10 to 14 hours a day.

The bears are very shy and prefer to live alone. The females and males only see eachother about twice a year, in the late spring or early summer seasons to breed. A few months later, the female bear will usually give birth to just one or maybe two cubs in a den she has dug in the ground. Usually, only one of the bear cubswill live to maturity. They are very small and helpless when they are born, and cannot see. The newborn pandas are pink with almost no fur on their bodies. The mother panda nurses her nurse for about six months. At about one year old, the panda cubs will be able to live on their own. On average, a giant pandas can live to be between 17 and 20 years in the wild.

Just a little over a hundred years ago there wer thousands of giant pandas in China, but their population has steadily declined because of the destruction of the forests to make way for new homes and businesses. Thankfully, pandas are protected by law and cannot be hunted. They can also live at safe places such as the the Wolong Nature Reserve.

Before you come to China, you may hear of China’s national treasure: Giant Panda. Visitors to China can see this endangered animal in the zoos of the big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing, etc. If you want to have a very close look at the plump and lovely animal, you should better go to the Giant Panda Breeding and Research Base in Chengdu. Here you will view them eating, sleeping or playing which bring you great pleasure and delights.

Giant Pandas look like bear and have thick black and white fur with short tail. Their ears, legs, shoulders and fur around their eyes are black. The rest of the fur on their body is white.

Giant Pandas have good eyesight. They have strong jaws and teeth for chewing tough food. They have special bones like thumbs to help them holding their food.

Where do they live?

Giant Pandas only live in six small areas in China. They live in the mountain areas around the center and southwest of the country. They live high up in the mountains, in cool forests full of bamboo plants. The famous Chengdu Breeding Giant Panda Research is located on the mountain of Fu Tou. There are clouds, rain and mist throughout the year.

What do they eat?

Giant pandas are considered carnivores, but 99% of their food consists of bamboo. They prefer bamboo shoots. Since bamboo is low in nutrition, Giant Panda has to eat for 10 to 16 hours a day to stay fit and healthy.

Giant Panda’s Life Span

Giant Pandas are very shy and like to live alone. The males and females only meet in late spring or early summer to mate. Three to five months later the female may give birth to one or two babies, called cubs, in a den in the ground. Usually only one of the cubs will live to become fully grown.

When giant panda cubs are born, they are very small and helpless. They cannot see and have little fur. The cubs drink their mother’s milk for about six months. The cubs grow quite slowly. They can move around after three months. After about a year, they will go to live on their own. Giant Pandas live between 17 and 20 years in the wild.

How many wild giant pandas live now?

One hundred years ago there were large numbers of giant pandas in China. Now there are less than 700 of them in the wild, even though they were protected by law. Nowadays the giant pandas in China live mainly in 13 special protected areas, called reserves. The pandas can live safely in the reserves because people cannot hunt them.

Why the Giant Panda are in danger?

Giant pandas are in danger because their habitat is being destroyed. Forest areas are being cut down to make room for homes and factories. The trees are sold as wood for building and furniture.

Sometimes the bamboo plants come into flower which means that the pandas don’t have food and they have to move out of their home to find food instead of starving.