Pandas love to wallow, somersault, play pranks and frolic. They love to be hugged, given them treats and pay attention. They are like small children, only fluffy and huge. They are cute, clumsy and very funny. All this eloquence about pandas.
And today we have picked up for you the most interesting facts about pandas, that will introduce you closer to these amazing animals.
Fact number one.
There are two species of pandas: Red (aka small) and Giant pandas. Both of these species are on the verge of extinction. However, the small one belongs to the raccoon family, and the large one belongs to the bear family. So, these species have nothing in common.
Fact number two.
Spots around eyes of a giant panda cub initially have the shape of a circle. As they grow, these circles take on the shape of a blob.
Fact number three.
The average lifespan of a giant panda in the wild is fifteen to twenty years. In captivity, giant pandas can live up to thirty years. The record age for a panda in captivity is thirty-eight years.
Fact number four.
Pandas love to ride the slides. Except to having fun, the panda is trying to get rid of the twigs stuck in the fur in this way.
Fact number five.
Pandas are clubfoot, they walk with their front paws turned inward. Pandas can stand upright, but their short hind legs aren’t strong enough to support their body. The bones of a panda are twice as heavy as the bones of other animals of the same size. Pandas have pigeon toes, in other words, they walk with their front paws turned inward. Pandas don’t run fast – a slow trot is all they can do.
Fact number six.
Pandas rely more on spatial rather than visual memory. That is, they better remember the location, for example, to find areas where bamboo grows. Pandas are terrible gluttons. They eat for twelve hours a day, devouring tens of kilograms of bamboo. In the wild, a pair of adult individuals need about three thousand five hundred stems, or twelve to thirty kilograms, to eat up.
Fact number seven.
Female pandas ovulate only once a year and are only fertile two or three days a year. A female panda cub needs five years to mature, and a male panda cub needs about seven years. Giant panda cubs are usually born in August or September. They reach only fifteen centimeters length and weigh about one hundred grams. Newborn babies have pink skin and are covered with rare white hairs. Also, they have no teeth, and eyes are closed. After a month, the babies take on a more panda-like appearance. By two months, babies are approaching the size of a newborn human baby. At the age of three, the baby becomes an adult and leaves his mother.
Fact number eight.
Giant pandas don’t hibernate because their diet of bamboo doesn’t allow them to stick up enough fat reserves for the winter. The panda does not hibernate but is active during whole year. The thing is that the animal’s ration, consisting of bamboo, doesn’t allow to stick up enough fat reserves for the winter. It is worth noting that pandas live in difficult to approach areas of China – bamboo dies every few years, and pandas die with it, unable to find enough food.
Fact number nine.
Scientists don’t really know why giant pandas have such strange coloring. Some biologists suggest that such disguise provides the animal with good camouflage both day and night. Others suggest that the black and white coloring helps her maintain a constant temperature. There are those who believe that such coloring allows them to differ each other, in particular, from other types of bears.
Fact number ten.
Hind paws of a panda are equipped of sharp claws, and on the soles and near the fingers of each paw there are flexible pads, with help to which the animals hold the slippery bamboo shoots. Except, on the front paws of the bears there is a bone growth in the form of a deformed finger, which helps them to break the rough bamboo stems.
Traditionally, Panda Day is celebrated at the end of September, although is some countries local environmental organizations may celebrate this day at other times. As a rule, on this case, a holiday is organized with the collection of funds that will be sent to help animals and organizations that are engaged their protection. Also, during these holidays, various competitions are held, designed mainly for children, among which pandas are especially popular.
