Panda - China's "Sloth Saint" and facts not everyone knows

They already seem to know pandas as one of the rarest animals in the world. Although the creator of pandas is one of the most "useless" animals, without pandas, this world would be a bit dull.

It is no exaggeration to say that pandas are one of the most beloved animals of all time. Thanks to her cute appearance, entertaining dark eyes and especially often doing silly actions, pandas are cherished and treasured like gold by humans. Every time you see a picture or clip of a panda playing, you will have to laugh because of how cute and muddy "they are".

Not only the rarity, pandas also hide a lot of interesting kites that not all of us know. Here are a few interesting facts about pandas, some of which are sure to include facts you didn't expect.

Panda belongs to the bear family

The panda, also known as the "big bear cat" or "the big cat", is a species of bear in the Ursidae family native to central China. According to biological classification, pandas include 3 subspecies: giant panda, red panda and Qin Ling panda.

Symbol of yin-yang harmony

Pandas have characteristic black and white fur. Only the fur around their eyes, ears and legs will be black, the rest will be completely white.

Many Chinese philosophers believe that the universe is made up of two opposing entities, Yin and Yang. Therefore, the panda with its contrasting black and white fur is considered the perfect example of this philosophy. Look at the panda's fur, what does it look like? It is an extreme chart that represents the theory of yin and yang.

Belongs to the Carnivore but 99% of the diet is bamboo

Although classified as a carnivore, the truth shows that more than 99% of the panda's diet is bamboo and bamboo leaves. On average, an adult panda needs to "eat" at least 18 kg of bamboo leaves per day. If you have the opportunity to visit Sichuan to visit "panda paradise" in Chengdu or Dujiangyan, you will find that most pandas there eat fresh bamboo leaves and fresh bamboo shoots.

Wild pandas will sometimes eat grass, wild tubers, bird meat, rodents, even carrion. And pandas kept in cages can also eat honey, eggs, fish, carrots, potatoes, shrub leaves and fruits such as apples, oranges or bananas. For those who volunteer at panda conservation facilities, they can receive special training to learn how to make "panda cake", and of course will then be able to feed them the finished product themselves. just made.

Pandas spend more than half a day just... eating

As mentioned above, the main daily food of pandas is only bamboo, bamboo and bamboo. And perhaps because of such a high-fiber diet, pandas have to eat a lot (more than 12 hours a day) to have enough nutrients to feed their bodies. The rest of the time they will spend sleeping. Normally, after eating, they will sleep for about 2-4 hours, then wake up and eat again. Such a cycle of eating and sleeping, it's really "as happy as a panda".

If you are planning to visit pandas at facilities or zoos, you should go in the morning because they will usually start eating around 8 am. It is also a time when pandas are very active, so panda lovers will have many opportunities to see their adorable and "salty" moments.

Eat a lot, poop a lot

Of course, since pandas eat all day, their waste must be proportional to the amount of food they eat. On average, a panda will excrete about 10 - 30 kg of feces per day, which is a bit startling.

Newborn pandas are not black and white

The life of a panda consists of 4 main stages: newborn (0 - 4 months), cubs (4 - 24 months), independent (1.5 - 2 years) and adult (4 - 6 years). ). However, when born, pandas do not have black and white fur as we often see. In fact, a newborn panda is pink, and within a month, its fur gradually changes color from pink to black and white.

Since baby pandas are usually born in late summer-early autumn, which is around August-September, if you want to see first-hand what baby pandas look like, you should go to the Chengdu Panda Base or the Bifengxia panda conservation in Nha An town. Here, newborn pandas are well taken care of and if you're lucky, you'll be able to see a mother panda nursing her cubs.

Newborn panda is 1/900th of its mother

Newborn pandas weigh about 80-200 grams and are about 15 centimeters long, which is about the size of a pencil. Meanwhile, adult pandas in captivity weigh about 80-130 kg and adult pandas in the wild weigh about 60-100 kg. Looking at these numbers, it can be seen that the newborn panda and the mother panda have a huge difference in weight (the baby panda is only about one-thousandth as heavy as the mother).

Baby pandas can't crawl until they're 3 months old. They also can only open their eyes 45 days after birth and need to be cared for until 120 days old. By 14 months, they will try to eat solid foods, especially bamboo. The young will be weaned at 18-24 months of age and will soon leave the mother to live on their own. Meanwhile, their mother will prepare for the birth of the next litter.

Pandas have lived on Earth for 2-3 million years

It is no coincidence that pandas are called "living fossils" or "national treasures" (national treasures). The animal itself appeared suddenly at the end of the Pliocene or the beginning of the Pleistocene, more than 2-3 million years ago. Panda fossils have also been discovered in Myanmar, Vietnam and especially in western China.

Pandas can live for 20-30 years, the oldest panda is 38 years old

Pandas have a fairly long lifespan. On average, a panda in the wild can live for about 20 years and a panda in captivity can live for 25-35 years. The world's oldest captive panda is the female panda Xinxing from Chongqing Zoo with a life expectancy of 38 years, who died of multiple organ failure on December 8, 2020. Before that, there was also the panda Jia Jia in Hong Kong Ocean Park, born in 1978 and died on October 16, 2016, also enjoying the age of 38 (equivalent to more than 130 years in humans).

Pandas have "false thumbs"

The panda's hand has 5 fingers and an extra finger that functions like a thumb. The "false thumb" is actually the wrist bone that has grown so large that it sticks out the side of the hand. The muscles that control the panda's bones have been rearranged to allow the artificial finger to move and grasp the bamboo stalk with ease.

Pandas are excellent swimmers and tree climbers

Don't look at the panda's round, chubby, somewhat lazy appearance and quickly "catch the picture" that they can't climb. Their tree climbing is also very "what and that". Pandas in the wild will climb tall trees to hide from enemies while pandas raised in sanctuaries or zoos climb trees, even sleeping on tree trunks for the reason that... on high, beautiful view, convenient observe.

Another interesting thing is that pandas have the ability to swim very well. They swim with extreme confidence and comfort like professional athletes. If threatened by another animal, they can use their swimming skills to escape danger.

Pandas like to live alone

"Lonely, I am so lonely, I have nobody", this is exactly the song for this animal. Pandas enjoy a solitary life and will mostly avoid direct contact with their fellow humans. Every year, male and female pandas only meet for about 2-3 days in the spring (around March - May) to mate, then "say goodbye" to their mates immediately and forever.

When feeding raccoons with food contained in metal objects such as iron or copper, they often appear very "pleasant" and lick them until they are clean.

The eyesight of pandas is not very good and they judge location mainly through spatial memory rather than visual memory.

Pandas do not hibernate like most other bear relatives. Before winter arrives, they will migrate from mountain caves to warmer temperatures.

Pandas are only afraid of heat, not cold, so when the outdoor temperature reaches about 26C, the caretaker will actively bring the "national treasure" into the air-conditioned house to keep cool. The majority of female pandas are single mothers, giving birth to their babies alone and raising their cubs

Some pandas don't know how to make love

One of the reasons pandas are listed as endangered is that they are very lazy to mate. Female pandas can only mate 2-3 days a year, but unfortunately some males are completely "blind" about "sex".

There is a pretty funny story related to this that happened at the National Zoo in Washington, DC (USA). The panda pair Thien Thien and My Huong have been repeatedly facilitated to mate naturally, but both have never been able to locate the right place. According to David Wildt - director of the Center for Conservation of Creatures: "Instead of pulling My Huong into his lap, Thien Thien stepped on the female bear's back and stood there like a man who had just opened a box. IKEA and don't know what to do next..." It's a real headache with pandas born in captivity like this.

Pandas have very few enemies in the wild

Due to its large appearance and strong teeth, very few animals dare to risk attacking pandas. Only young pandas are vulnerable to predators such as jackals, snow leopards or yellow-throated ferrets. In general, life for pandas in the wild is usually quite safe, with the biggest threat to them being poaching.

The intelligence of an adult panda is equivalent to that of a 5-year-old child.

All pandas in the world belong to China. Any panda that appears outside of China is lent by China. Under the agreement, when the panda cubs are born outside of China, they will be sent to their "ancestral homeland" by FedEx delivery service after weaning.

Because pandas are animals that only China has, when China gives or lends pandas to any country, it is implicitly showing affection and wanting to promote diplomatic relations with that country. This policy has been around for a long time, but about 40 years ago, China stopped giving away pandas, but only rented pandas for a fee of about 1 million USD (23 billion VND)/child/year.

Pandas are extremely clumsy animals. It has become common for them to slip, fall or roll over cats while playing and exploring around. Even taking care of their children is very clumsy. Many newborn pandas have been accidentally crushed to death by their mothers.

There are many cases where captive pandas will fake pregnancy by mimicking the same symptoms to get attention and get better "treatment".

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