2. General Classification
The panda (Ailuropoda
melanoleuca, "black and white cat-
foot"), also known as the giant
panda to distinguish it from the
unrelated red panda, is a bear native to
central-western and south
western China
5. Physical Descirption
Adults measure around
1.2 to 1.8 m (4 to 6 ft)
long, including a tail of
about 13 cm (5.1 in), and
60 to 90 cm (2.0 to 3.0 ft)
tall at the shoulder.
Males can weigh up to
160 kg (350 lb).Females
(generally 10–20% smaller
than males) can weigh as
little as 75 kg (170 lb), but
can also weigh up to
125 kg (280 lb).
Average adult weight is 100
to 115 kg (220 to 250 lb).
6. Behavior
Giant pandas are generally
solitary, and each adult has a
defined territory, and a
female is not tolerant of
other females in her range
The giant panda is
a terrestrial animal and
primarily spends its life
roaming and feeding in the
bamboo forests of the Qinling
Mountains and in the hilly
Sichuan Province
Pandas communicate through
vocalization and scent marking
such as clawing trees or spraying
urine.
Though the panda is often
assumed to be docile, it has been
known to attack
humans, presumably out of
irritation rather than aggression
7. Diet
The giant
panda's diet is
primarily herbivorous,
consisting almost
exclusively of bamboo
The average giant panda
eats as much as 9 to 14 kg
(20 to 30 lb) of bamboo
shoots a day
8. Genomics
The giant panda genome was
sequenced in 2009 using a
next-generation sequencing
technology. Its genome
contains 20 pairs
of autosomes and one pair of
sex chromosomes.
10. Habitat
The giant panda lives in a few
mountain ranges in central
China, mainly
in Sichuan province, but also in
the Shaanxi and Gansu provinces
11. Breeding
Giant pandas reach sexual maturity between the ages of
four and eight, and may be reproductive until age 20.
The mating season is between March and May, when a
female goes into estrus, which lasts for two or three days
and only occurs once a year. When mating, the female is
in a crouching, head-down position as the male mounts
her from behind. Copulation time is short, ranging from
30 seconds to five minutes, but the male may mount her
repeatedly to ensure successful fertilization.
The gestation period ranges from 95 to 160 days