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Panda Facts: |
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The giant panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, lives high in the mist-covered mountains of southwestern China in cool, damp bamboo forests, at altitudes between 1,200-3,500m (4,000-11,500ft). Destruction of their habitat by humans has severely limited their range. |
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Probably fewer than 1,000 pandas remain in the wild, putting them in great danger of extinction. Panda skins are worth thousands of dollars on the black market, creating a strong temptation for poachers. To counter this temptation, the Chinese government imposes punishment of life in prison for poaching. About 110 pandas live in zoos or captive breeding facilities. |
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Newborn pandas weigh only 3-4 ounces. Pandas are weaned at about nine months of age, and leave their mothers at about 18 months, but continue to grow for several more years. They reach sexual maturity at 5-6 years, and live up to 15 years in the wild. |
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Full-grown pandas are somewhat heavier than the average adult human, weighing typically between 160 and 350 pounds. An adult panda might measure 4-5 feet from head to tail. |
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Bamboo is their favorite food. Because bamboo is not very nutrient-dense, pandas must eat a lot -- 25-40 pounds or more than 10% of their body weight per day. Pandas also sometimes eat small amounts of grasses, insects, fish, and rodents. |
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Zoologists have long debated how to classify pandas in the animal kingdom - as part of the bear family, racoon family, or a family all their own. Recent sophisticated genetic and molecular studies have indicated that the giant panda (depicted on our box) is a distant relative of bears. The much smaller red panda, though it shares a similar lifestyle with the giant panda, is more like a racoon. |
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Giant pandas are much more gentle and slow-moving than other bears, to conserve energy on their low-nutrient diet. Giant pandas spend 85% of their time sleeping, resting, or eating. |
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The National Zoo in Washington DC recently obtained two new pandas from Chinese authorities to replace a pair that died of old age after more than 20 years at the zoo. In exchange for the new pair, $10 million was donated to panda conservation efforts in China. |
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