It's Friday already! Can you believe it? This week has gone by super-fast. As you may know, I always try to do something fun on Fridays and this week I have something that's not only fun but a subject that's near and dear to my heart...the all- too-adorable panda bear. Tomorrow, March 16th, "conservationists and animal lovers alike spread the word about one of the world’s most endangered and adored animals. National Panda Day brings together the efforts of an international community dedicated to protecting and restoring habitat." As an endangered species, successful panda breeding programs are rare.
So now let's get on with a few fun panda facts!
1. Giant pandas (often referred to as simply “pandas”) are black and white bears. In the wild, they are found in thick bamboo forests, high up in the mountains of central China.
2. These magnificent mammals are omnivores. But while pandas will occasionally eat small animals and fish, bamboo accounts for 99 percent of their diet.
3. Pandas are BIG eaters – every day they fill their tummies for up to 12 hours, gobbling up nearly 26 and 1/2 pounds of bamboo (12 kilograms).
4. The giant panda's scientific name is Ailuropoda melanoleuca, which means "black and white cat-foot."
5. Giant pandas grow to between 4 and 5 feet tall (1.2 to 1.5 meters). They usually weigh between 165 and 297 pounds (75 kg and 135 kg). Now we know why they're called giant pandas!
6. Scientists are really sure how old panda live to be when left in the wild, but pandas in captivity tend to live to be 30 years old.
7. Baby pandas are born pink and are about 6 inches in length(15 cm)...about the length of a pencil. They are also born blind and only open their eyes six to eight weeks after birth.
8. It’s thought that these magnificent mammals are solitary animals, with males and females only coming together briefly to mate. Recent research, however, suggests that giant pandas occasionally meet outside of breeding season, and communicate with each other through scent marks and calls.
9. Female pandas give birth to one or two cubs every two years. Cubs stay with their mothers for 18 months before venturing off on their own!
10. Unlike most other bears, pandas do not hibernate. When winter approaches, they head lower down their mountain homes to warmer temperatures, where they continue to chomp away on bamboo! All I can say is it's a good thing that bamboo is plentiful, sustainable, and grows quickly!
While the giant pandas are still endangered, we do have a little good news. According to the World Wide Fund (WWF, there's been an increase in the panda population, about 17% since the late 1970s when there were only 1000 pandas living in the wild. The 2014 panda census showed 1,864 pandas living in the wild with approximately 100 more living in zoos.
I hope you enjoyed learning about giant pandas today. if you are able to, please contribute to the WWF so that they may continue their conservation efforts.
That wraps up another week for this little frog. I hope you enjoy your weekend. Please stay safe and I invite you back here again on Monday. Until then, I wish you
PEACE.
So now let's get on with a few fun panda facts!
1. Giant pandas (often referred to as simply “pandas”) are black and white bears. In the wild, they are found in thick bamboo forests, high up in the mountains of central China.
2. These magnificent mammals are omnivores. But while pandas will occasionally eat small animals and fish, bamboo accounts for 99 percent of their diet.
3. Pandas are BIG eaters – every day they fill their tummies for up to 12 hours, gobbling up nearly 26 and 1/2 pounds of bamboo (12 kilograms).
4. The giant panda's scientific name is Ailuropoda melanoleuca, which means "black and white cat-foot."
5. Giant pandas grow to between 4 and 5 feet tall (1.2 to 1.5 meters). They usually weigh between 165 and 297 pounds (75 kg and 135 kg). Now we know why they're called giant pandas!
6. Scientists are really sure how old panda live to be when left in the wild, but pandas in captivity tend to live to be 30 years old.
7. Baby pandas are born pink and are about 6 inches in length(15 cm)...about the length of a pencil. They are also born blind and only open their eyes six to eight weeks after birth.
8. It’s thought that these magnificent mammals are solitary animals, with males and females only coming together briefly to mate. Recent research, however, suggests that giant pandas occasionally meet outside of breeding season, and communicate with each other through scent marks and calls.
9. Female pandas give birth to one or two cubs every two years. Cubs stay with their mothers for 18 months before venturing off on their own!
10. Unlike most other bears, pandas do not hibernate. When winter approaches, they head lower down their mountain homes to warmer temperatures, where they continue to chomp away on bamboo! All I can say is it's a good thing that bamboo is plentiful, sustainable, and grows quickly!
While the giant pandas are still endangered, we do have a little good news. According to the World Wide Fund (WWF, there's been an increase in the panda population, about 17% since the late 1970s when there were only 1000 pandas living in the wild. The 2014 panda census showed 1,864 pandas living in the wild with approximately 100 more living in zoos.
I hope you enjoyed learning about giant pandas today. if you are able to, please contribute to the WWF so that they may continue their conservation efforts.
That wraps up another week for this little frog. I hope you enjoy your weekend. Please stay safe and I invite you back here again on Monday. Until then, I wish you
PEACE.
https://www.natgeokids.com/za/discover/animals/general-animals/ten-panda-facts/
ttp://wwf.panda.org/knowledge_hub/endangered_species/giant_panda/panda/how_many_are_left_in_the_wild_population/
ttp://wwf.panda.org/knowledge_hub/endangered_species/giant_panda/panda/how_many_are_left_in_the_wild_population/
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