The face of World Wildlife Federation, these exotic bears of China are loved all around the world. Explore some interesting facts about Pandas in this story.
Pandas are one of the cutest animals in the world. The mere sight of them fills our hearts with love and warmth. People spend a lot of time looking at the panda videos on the internet just because they look like flurry balls of snow with innocent button eyes. These roly-poly creatures are considered as the symbol of peace in China and also represent yin and yang symbol.
Animal lovers across the world envy the caretakers of Pandas. They secretly hope to bring up baby Pandas to enjoy seeing their chubby faces and indulging them with bamboo sticks before lulling them to sleep.
Here are five interesting facts about these white and black bears which will make you fall in love with them.
Pandas do not hibernate
Unlike every other species of bear, Pandas are known not to hibernate. It is because they mainly survive on a bamboo diet. Their selective eating habits do not give them enough fat required to last hibernating season. Therefore they cannot survive the freezing winter temperature and migrate to warmer areas during colder days of the year.
Too tiny at the time of birth
A newly born Panda weighs less than 5 oz. and is equivalent to the size of a pencil in length (around 15 cm). At the time of birth, a baby Panda is pink in colour and without vision. Given that an average female Panda is close to 200 -300 pounds in weight, it can safely be said that the mother is 900 times bigger than her newborn cub.
Better thriving rate in captivity than in the wild
Yes, you have heard it right. Unlike the other wild animals who live longer and better in their natural surroundings, Pandas have a longer lifespan if they live in artificial surroundings. Pandas in the wild are known to live for 15 to 20 years, whereas they easily live up to 30 years in captivity. The oldest Panda ever known to have lived in captivity lived up to 38 years.
The world never knew pandas outside China till the 20th century
The unique species were only known to the rest of the world in the 20th century. The first Panda to be taken out of China was in 1936. It was brought to the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago and was called Su-Lin.
Endangered Species
The decreasing population of Pandas is a matter of grave concern for the world. There are only 1000 pandas left in the wild. Since China owns every Panda in the world, the country has taken some serious steps to ensure the rehabilitation and breeding of these animals.
These gentle giants need our care to thrive. So, we all need to protect them together.
