Giant Panda
The
giant panda, or panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca, literally meaning
"black and white cat-foot") is a bear native to central-western and
south western China. It is easily recognized by its large,
distinctive black patches around the eyes, over the ears, and across
its round body. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the
panda's diet is 99% bamboo. Pandas in the wild will occasionally eat
other grasses, wild tubers, or even meat in the form of birds,
rodents or carrion. In captivity they may receive honey, eggs, fish,
yams, shrub leaves, oranges, or bananas along with specially
prepared feed.
The giant panda lives in a few mountain ranges in central China,
mainly in Sichuan province, but also in the Shaanxi and Gansu
provinces. Due to farming, deforestation and other development, the
panda has been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived.
The panda is a conservation reliant endangered species. A 2007
report shows 239 pandas living in captivity inside China and another
27 outside the country. Wild population estimates vary; one estimate
shows that there are about 1,590 individuals living in the wild,
while a 2006 study via DNA analysis estimated that this figure could
be as high as 2,000 to 3,000. Some reports also show that the number
of pandas in the wild is on the rise. However, the IUCN does not
believe there is enough certainty yet to reclassify the species from
Endangered to Vulnerable.
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