Fact #1: Giant pandas are much bigger than they look.
When we look at photos on the Internet, giant pandas seem fluffy and cute. But they are much more than you think.
Weight of giant panda can reach 150 kilograms, and the average length of a giant panda is 1.5 meters.
Fact #2: Pandas can climb trees and swim.
Giant pandas can’t stand up like Po did in Kung Fu Panda cartoon. But they perfectly climb trees, starting from the age of seven months.
In addition, the giant panda belongs to the bear family. And, like other bears, they are excellent swimmers.
Fact #3: A panda’s color changes from pink to black and white.
Pandas are born like little badgers – furless, pink and blind. The famous black and white color appears later, after about three weeks.
By the way, not all giant pandas are black and white! Some of them are white-brown in color, but this is less common.
Fact #4: Giant pandas eat and sleep all day long.
Eating and sleeping, for the most part, is what a panda does all day long. Therefore, if you want to watch giant pandas while they are active, come to the reserve early.
Pandas spend up to 14 hours a day eating and sleeping the rest of the time. In the wild, giant pandas sleep 2 to 4 hours between meals.
Fact #5: Adult pandas eat 12-38 kg of bamboo per day!
45 kg adult pandas spend up to 14 hours eating. And on average they eat 12 to 38 kg of bamboo per day.
Fact #6: Panda litter can reach 28 kg per day!
Giant panda litter can reach up to 28 kg per day. In the past, undigested bits of bamboo found in droppings were used to make photo frames or bookmarks. These days, panda droppings will soon be used in the production of paper napkins.
Fact #7: You can see panda cubs in August.
Giant pandas are usually born in August, because the mating season for pandas is from March to May, and the gestation period is from 3 to 5 months.
Fact #8: Giant pandas love being alone.
Pandas do not live in families. They are solitary, each female has a well-defined territory. Males usually live separately, except for a short mating season (from March to May), when they compete for the female’s attention. Females raise their young alone.
Fact #9: Pandas don’t hibernate.
Unlike most bears, giant pandas do not hibernate in winter. In winter, they move to the lower mountainous region in search of a warmer climate.
One reason is that pandas mainly eat bamboo. Bamboo does not have a high calorie content, and therefore does not provide the accumulation of a sufficient fat layer to survive the cold season.
Fact #10: Giant pandas lived 2 million years ago.
The discovered panda fossils have been dated to between 1 and 2 million years. Once upon a time, pandas lived throughout China. Now in the wild they are found only in remote areas of the Tibetan foothills of China.
Fact #11: Pandas have 6 toes to hold bamboo.
Giant pandas have 6 toes on their front paws. The sixth finger is conveniently located separately, allowing them to hold cigar-thick bamboo stalks.
Fact #12: Giant pandas love to lick copper and iron.
Some researchers note that pandas have a particular weakness for copper and iron. It can be seen with what pleasure they lick their metal bowls and even turn them over with dexterous paws.