Giant Pandas

 Giant Pandas are fascinating animals. The Panda (a name which means eater of bamboo  in Nepali), was nothing more than a solitary wanderer in the Chinese mountains until 1869, when it was made known to the West by the naturalist and missionary Armand David. Giant Pandas are a symbol for those who campaign to protect nature and biodiversity.

They are very calm animals, and expert tree climbers. Females are lighter than males, although there are few visible differences between them. Its coat is hard, long and dense; sometimes the black has a brownish tinge, and the white can becomes more reddish and brown. It has vertical pupils, just like cats. This species has developed a sixth finger (pseudo-thumb) which is nothing more than an extension of a bone in the wrist that is used to pluck, grasp and eat bamboo.

Pandas find shelter and food in the temperate forests in China . Each panda usually occupies a territory of between 4 and 6.5 square kilometers, while it moves around slowly and lazily, saving energy. Dawn and dusk are often the times when panda bears are most active.

Males and females move in similar areas, and communicate with a series of sounds. Especially the males, which make certain loud calls and moans during the mating season. The young are born at 135 days of gestation, blind and pink. Their diet consists mainly of bamboo; they also eat insects, eggs, fruits and small mammals..