The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), also known as the panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its white coat with black patches around the eyes, ears, legs and shoulders. Giant pandas are the largest panda in the world.
Known for their patched furry skin, they are usually found in limited areas of Central western and south-western China. Compared to their red furred siblings, giant panda normally live in high mountains or isolated parts of the world. Pandas are bears and nearly all bears are large mammals, but the giant panda (ironically) is actually at the small end of the scale when it comes to the bear family.
The panda's only smaller bear relative is the sun bear and the panda itself looks quite small next to larger bears like the polar or black bear. Giant panda, bear with striking black-and-white coloration inhabiting bamboo forests in the mountains of central China. Its coloration, bulky body, and round face gives it a captivating appearance that has endeared it to people worldwide.
about the giant panda in this article. Giant pandaWHY THEY MATTER Pandas play a crucial role in forests. The biological diversity of the panda's habitat is unparalleled in the temperate world and rivals that of tropical ecosystems, making the giant panda an excellent example of an umbrella species conferring protection on many other species where pandas live.
In other words, when we protect pandas, we invariably protect other. The giant panda has lived in bamboo forests for several million years. It is a highly specialized animal, with unique adaptations.
The panda's thick, wooly coat keeps it warm in the cool forests of its habitat. Giant pandas have large molar teeth and strong jaw muscles for crushing tough bamboo. Many people find these chunky, lumbering animals to be cute, but giant pandas can be as dangerous.
The Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries in the Qionglai and Jiajin Mountains of Sichuan Province, China, represent the largest contiguous habitat of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). More than 30% of the world panda population lives in this 9,245 km² (3569 mile²) network of nature reserves and scenic parks. The giant panda is the rarest member of the bear family and among the world's most threatened animals.
Learn about WWF's giant panda conservation efforts. The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a conservation icon, revered for its unique coat pattern and cultural significance. Also known as the panda bear, bamboo bear, or in Chinese as Daxiongmao, meaning "large bear cat," these charismatic mammals are endemic to the People's Republic of China.
Giant pandas play an important role in seed dispersal, keeping forests healthy. They also. High in dense bamboo forests in the misty, rainy mountains of southwestern China lives one of the world's rarest mammals: the giant panda, also called the panda.
Only about 1,500 of these black-and-white bears survive in the wild. Pandas eat almost nothing but bamboo shoots and leaves. Occasionally they eat other vegetation, fish, or small mammals, but bamboo accounts for 99 percent of their.