Giant pandas are known for their fuzzy black and white coats, with black patches on their eyes, ears, arms, and legs. Their thick coats help them stay warm in cooler temperatures.

Similar to a typical bear, giant pandas grow 3 to 6 feet long and 2 to 3 feet tall at the shoulder. Once fully grown, males can weigh up to 350 pounds, with females weighing anywhere from 150 to 275 pounds.

Giant pandas are most commonly found in the mountain ranges of China. Due to human activity and deforestation, they have been pushed higher up into isolated mountain areas.

Giant pandas live in dense forests at elevations ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 feet. They spend most of their time eating and climbing trees. Giant pandas thrive in broadleaf and mixed forests, with lots of bamboo.

The giant panda is a folivore, which is an animal that specializes in eating leaves. In fact, 99% of their diet consists of leaves and bamboo shoots! They also eat grasses, tubers, and occasionally the meat of small animals like rodents or birds.

Giant pandas are classified as carnivorous like all other bears and even have the digestive system of a carnivore. Because they primarily eat an herbivorous diet, the giant panda must consume about 20 to 80 pounds of bamboo a day to make up for how little protein they get from the bamboo.

The giant panda’s reproductive rate is usually 1 cub every 2 years. After a gestation period of about 3 to 5 months, the cub(s) is born blind, toothless, and with very little fur.

If the mother has twins, there is a very small chance both will survive in the wild. Leading the mother to choose the stronger one to continue caring for. Newborn cubs nurse from their mother about 6 to 14 times a day! For the first year, most of the cub’s diet consists of milk, however, they can consume small amounts of bamboo after 6 months.

When they’re first born, giant panda cubs weigh around 3 to 4 ½ ounces and grow up to 100 pounds in their first year of life! The giant panda cub typically stays with the mother until they are about 18 months to 2 years old, which is when it will leave to live on its own.

Giant pandas have poor eyesight, however, they make up for that with their sense of smell. By using their nose, they can sniff out the best bamboo and find their paths they create.

Adult giant pandas have a defined territory to themselves. The adults would rather stay by themselves and with their cub than being near other adults. The only time they encounter other adults is during mating season. After that, even the male leaves the female and his cub alone.

Giant Pandas mark their territory by scratching on a tree, or doing a handstand and urinating on a tree trunk!