Giant Panda
Ailuropoda melanoleuca
A two-room apartment?
Because pandas are solitary animals, the two bears here at the zoo each have their own private space. Pandas are also homebodies. Although their territory can cover up to 6 km , in order to save energy they don’t actually move around much. Some days they walk a few hundred metres, but they usually spend their time sleeping, snoozing or eating. By the way, because bamboo grows year round, pandas do not need to hibernate.
Family planning
A panda hoping to become a mother has to pay close attention to her cycle, as females are only fertile for around 72 hours each spring. That means many of them only fall pregnant every two or three years. The gestation period is four months, after which up to three babies are born. Usually only one cub survives.
Charakteristics
- Origin
China
- Habitat
Subtropical upland
- Diet
Bamboo
- Status
vulnerable, 2,000 wild pandas
- Size
60 - 90 cm
- Weight
up to 125 kg
- Gestation time
95 to 160 days
- Achievable age
up to 20 years in the wild, up to 30 years in human care
Threat Categories of IUCN
Did you know that...
...male giant pandas weigh as much as 125 kg.
...pandas were not discovered until the middle of the 19th century.
...there are estimated to be no more than 2,000 pandas living in the wild?
