Giant Panda: Bamboo Feeder

Giant panda is a bear which is native to central-western and southern-western China and is easily recognizable by its large distinct black patches around the eyes, ears and across the body. Although it belongs to the order Carnivora but its diet chiefly consists of about 99% bamboo. In the wild they feed on grasses, wild tubers and even meat in the form of carrion. In captivity they are fed on honey, yams, eggs, fish, bananas, oranges and leaves of the shrubs. Due to deforestation and habitat destruction the natural habitats of the Giant Panda are under threat. It is now considered as an endangered species.

The body of the animal is clothed with black and white fur. Adults are 1.5 meters long and 75 cm tall at the shoulder. Males weigh about 150 kg and the females weigh about 125 kg. The body shape is quite typical in comparison to other bears. It has black coat on the ears, eyes, muzzle, legs, arms and shoulders. Rest of the colour of the body is white. The fur keeps the body warm even when it is cool outside. The molar is large and the jaw muscles are strong enough for tearing the tough bamboo. The animal bears paws provided with a thumb and five fingers. The thumb is actually the modified sesamoid bone which is used for holding the bamboo. The tail of Giant Panda is the second longest tail in the bear family measuring 10-15 cm. sloth bear has the longest tail. The average lifespan is of 20 years in wild but 30 years in captivity. In the wild the animal spends most of its time roaming and feeding on bamboo. Although they spend their life alone but are known to form territories and the female of one group do not interferes with the other. They communicate with each other through vocalization or through scent markings like spraying of urine or clawing trees. They are very well adapted to take shelter in the hollows of trees or in rock crevices but do not use these areas permanently. As they don't have permanent shelters they do not hibernate like other mammals in the colder weather. They rely on spatial memory rather than the visual memory. The courting behaviour is very brief. After mating the male leaves the female to deliver the cub alone.

Despite of the order Carnivora the animal is strictly herbivorous. The digestive system is built on the same pattern like that of the carnivores. It gets little protein and energy from the bamboo. The ability of Giant Panda to digest cellulose is due to the presence of microbes in the gut. The average animal is known to consume 9-14 kg of bamboo shoots in a day. Since the animal feeds on a low energy diet it keeps its digestive tract full. Diet affects the behaviour of the animal. Its large size and rounded face are the adaptations towards the bamboo diet. With the help of next-generation sequencing technology the genome of the Giant Panda has been sequenced in 2009. The genome has 20 pairs of autosomes and 1 pair of sex chromosome. They are endangered animals and are kept under supervision both in the wild as well as in captivity. Wolong National Nature Reserve was set up in 1958 in order to save this animal. By the end of 2006 there were 40 panda reserves established in China.