Panda is an amazing and very interesting creature. Unlike many other animals, giant pandas have lived in the forest for millions of years. They are highly specialized organisms with unique adaptability.
The panda has an extra finger on its leg
Panda has six fingers on each foot. The extra fingers help the giant panda bear tear apart bamboo, which they can peel off in about 40 seconds. Their intestines and throats are covered with a thick layer of mucus to protect them from debris.
Female giant pandas can only endure three days a year
One reason panda reproduction is so difficult is that females do not have enough time to get pregnant. The female ovulates yearly and has 2-3 days to fertilize the egg, otherwise, she has to wait a year to try again!
Another reason pandas are so difficult to breed is that they are very lazy bears. It only takes a panda two or three days to mate. After mating, the female drives the male out of her territory and establishes his own offspring.
Panda cubs don’t stay with their mothers for long
When pandas were born, they were the size of butter sticks. One has pink skin, a thin layer of white fur, a long tail, and no teeth.
A red panda is about two months old, the same size as a typical human newborn. Panda stays with her mother until she is three years old when she is independent enough to take risks on her own, meaning that a wild panda only can raise three or four boys in his life.
Pandas eat bamboo, but their digestive systems are designed for a meat diet
A wild giant panda is made from a mixture of 99% bamboo and 1% herbal medicine and occasionally small rodents. Pandas absorb only 20-30% of bamboo nutrients. Other herbivores, such as deer, absorb about 80%.
This means that pandas need to eat most of the time they are awake to get enough food to survive.
Pandas spend about 2/3 of their day eating
There are around 20 different types of bamboo that pandas eat. Nevertheless, bamboo does not contain sufficient nutrients, meaning pandas need to eat up to 20kg per day. Because of this, pandas spend about 2/3 of their day eating.
Pandas have exceptionally strong jaws
The face of a panda draws its shape from the massive muscles of its cheeks. A giant panda’s cheek muscles and jaw are actually stronger than you’d expect.