Search results for "panda"

The Red Panda, Ailurus fulgens ("shining cat," from a Latinized form of the Greek, ailouros, "cat," and the participial form of the Latin fulgere, "to shine") is a mostly herbivorous mammal, slightly larger than a domestic cat (55 cm long). The Red Panda has semi-retractile claws and, like the Giant Panda, has a "false thumb" which is really an extension of the wrist bone. Thick fur on the soles of the feet offers protection from cold and hides scent glands. The Red Panda is native to the Himalayas in Nepal and southern China. The word panda is derived from Nepalese word "ponya" which means ba...

A cute Panda bear is getting away from it's cage!

Reclusive herbivores, giant pandas once enjoyed a wide range in southern China. However, habitat destruction and poaching for their valuable fur have killed off most of them, leaving only about one thousand in the wild. The ancestors of the giant panda were carnivores, but its diet has evolved into one of mostly stalks and roots of the slow-growing, nutrient-poor bamboo. It spends ten to sixteen hours a day eating the twenty to forty pounds (9 to 18 kg) of bamboo it needs for its daily quota. It forages over a large area to get enough; a typical home range is about 1.5 to 2.5 squar...

The giant panda has thick black fur on its ears, eyes, muzzle, legs and shoulders. The rest of it is white. The panda's striking coloring probably serves to help it blend in to both snowy and rocky environments. Pandas measure 2 to 3 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet long. Males weigh about 250 pounds, and females average 220. The panda has extremely strong jaw muscles and large teeth, which allow it crush bamboo, its main food. The panda has strong front legs, which it uses to climb trees. Its rear legs are weaker.