The Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca, literally meaning "black and white cat-foot")[2] is a bear Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern Hemisphere and partially in the Southern Hemisphere[3] native to central-western and south western China.[4] It is easily recognized by its large, distinctive black patches around the eyes, over the ears, and across its round body. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora The diverse order Carnivora (pronounced /kɑrˈnɪvərə/ or sometimes /ˌkɑrnɪˈvɔərə/; from Latin carō "flesh", + vorāre "to devour") includes over 260 species of placental mammals. Its members are formally referred to as carnivorans, while the word "carnivore" (often popularly applied to members of this, the Giant Panda's diet is 99% bamboo Bamboo listen is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family.[5] Other parts of its diet include honey, eggs, fish, yams, shrub leaves A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants can be either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience. Small, low shrubs such as lavender, periwinkle and thyme are often termed subshrubs, oranges, and bananas when available.[6]
The Giant Panda lives in a few mountain ranges in central China, mainly in Sichuan The province and its vicinity were the cradle of unique local civilizations, which can be dated back to at least the fifteenth century BC . Beginning from the ninth century BC, Shu (today Chengdu) and Ba (today Chongqing City) emerged as cultural and administrative centers where two rival kingdoms were established province, but also in the Shaanxi Shaanxi (simplified Chinese: 陕 and Gansu Gansu (simplified Chinese: 甘肃; traditional Chinese: 甘肅; pinyin: Gānsù; Wade–Giles: Kan-su, Kansu, Kan-suh) is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It lies between Qinghai, Inner Mongolia, and the Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia to the north and Xinjiang to the west. The Yellow River passes the provinces.[7] Due to farming, deforestation Deforestation occurs for many reasons: trees or derived charcoal are used as, or sold, for fuel or as a commodity, while cleared land is used as pasture for livestock, plantations of commodities, and settlements. The removal of trees without sufficient reforestation has resulted in damage to habitat, biodiversity loss and aridity. It has adverse, and other development, the Giant Panda has been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived.
The Giant Panda is a conservation reliant Conservation reliant species are endangered or threatened animal or plant species that require continuing species specific wildlife management intervention such as predator control, habitat management and parasite control to survive even when self-sustaining population recovery goals are achieved endangered species An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has calculated the percentage of endangered species as 40 percent of all organisms based on the sample of.[4] A 2007 report shows 239 Giant Pandas living in captivity inside China and another 27 outside the country.[8] Wild population estimates vary; one estimate shows that there are about 1,590 individuals living in the wild,[8] while a 2006 study via DNA analysis DNA profiling is a technique employed by forensic scientists to assist in the identification of individuals on the basis of their respective DNA profiles. DNA profiles are encrypted sets of numbers that reflect a person's DNA makeup, which can also be used as the person's identifier. DNA profiling should not be confused with full genome sequencing estimated that this figure could be as high as 2,000 to 3,000.[9] Some reports also show that the number of Giant Pandas in the wild is on the rise.[10][11] However, the IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. The stated goal of the organization is to help the world find pragmatic solutions to the most pressing environment and development challenges. The group publishes a "Red List" compiling information from a does not believe there is enough certainty yet to reclassify the species from Endangered to Vulnerable.[1]
While the dragon Chinese dragons are legendary creatures in Chinese mythology and folklore, with mythic counterparts among Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and Turkic dragons. In Chinese art, dragons are typically portrayed as long, scaled, serpentine creatures with four legs. In contrast to European dragons that are considered evil, Chinese dragons traditionally has historically served as China's national emblem A national emblem symbolically represents a nation. Most national emblems originate in the natural world, such as animals or birds, but another object may serve. National emblems may appear on many things such as the national flag, coat of arms, or other patriotic materials. One should not confuse a formal national emblem with less formal symbols, in recent decades the Giant Panda has also served as an emblem for the country. Its image appears on a large number of modern Chinese commemorative silver, gold, and platinum coins. Though the Giant Panda is often assumed to be docile, it has been known to attack humans, presumably out of irritation rather than predation.[12][13][14]
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Description
A Giant Panda cub. At birth, the Giant Panda typically weighs 100 to 200 grams (3 1⁄2 to 7 oz) and measures 15 to 17 centimeters (6 to 7 in) long.[15]The Giant Panda has a black-and-white coat. Adults measure around 1.5 meters (5 ft) long and around 75 centimeters (2 ft 6 in) tall at the shoulder The shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle , the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone) as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder make up the shoulder joints. The major joint of the shoulder is the glenohumeral joint (Shoulder joint). In human anatomy,. Males can weigh up to 150 kilograms (330 lb). Females (generally 10–20% smaller than males)[16] can weigh up to 125 kilograms (280 lb).[4]
The Giant Panda has a body shape typical of bears Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern Hemisphere and partially in the Southern Hemisphere. It has black fur on its ears, eye patches, muzzle, legs, arms and shoulders. The rest of the animal's coat is white. Although scientists do not know why these unusual bears are black and white, some speculate that the bold coloring provides effective camouflage into its shade-dappled snowy and rocky surroundings.[17] The Giant Panda's thick, wooly coat keeps it warm in the cool forests of its habitat.[17] The Giant Panda has large molar teeth and strong jaw muscles for crushing tough bamboo.[18]
The Giant Panda's paw A paw is the soft foot of a mammal, generally a quadruped, that has claws or nails. A hard foot is called a hoof. Paws are used to pad feet for walking and increase friction has a "thumb" and five fingers Sesamoid bones are found in locations where a tendon passes over a joint, such as the hand, knee, and foot. Functionally, they act to protect the tendon and to increase its mechanical effect. The presence of the sesamoid bone holds the tendon slightly farther away from the center of the joint and thus increases its moment arm. Sesamoid bones also; the "thumb" is actually a modified sesamoid bone Sesamoid bones are found in locations where a tendon passes over a joint, such as the hand, knee, and foot. Functionally, they act to protect the tendon and to increase its mechanical effect. The presence of the sesamoid bone holds the tendon slightly farther away from the center of the joint and thus increases its moment arm. Sesamoid bones also, which helps the Giant Panda to hold bamboo while eating.[19] Stephen Jay Gould Stephen Jay Gould was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist and historian of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read writers of popular science of his generation. Gould spent most of his career teaching at Harvard University and working at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. In the latter years used this example in his book of essays concerned with evolution and biology Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy, The Panda's Thumb.
The Giant Panda has the second longest tail in the bear family, with one that is 10 to 15 centimeters (4 to 6 in) long. The longest belongs to the Sloth Bear The Sloth Bear , also known as the Labiated Bear, is an arboreal, nocturnal and insectivorous species of bear restricted to the Indian subcontinent.[16]
The Giant Panda usually lives around 20 years in the wild and up to 30 years in captivity Animals that live under human care are in captivity. Captivity can be used as a generalizing term to describe the keeping of either domesticated animals or wild animals. This may include for example farms, private homes and zoos. Keeping animals in human captivity and under human care can thus be distinguished between three primary categories. [20]
Behavior
In the wild, the Giant Panda is a terrestrial animal Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land, as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats (e.g., frogs). Terrestrial animals evolved from marine animals (aquatic animals living in the ocean). The and primarily spends its life roaming and feeding in the bamboo forests of the Qinling Mountains and in the hilly Sichuan Province.[21] Though generally alone, each adult has a defined territory and females are not tolerant of other females in their range. Pandas communicate through vocalization and scent marking such as clawing trees or spraying urine.[4] The Giant Panda is able to climb and take shelter in hollow trees or rock crevices but does not establish permanent dens. For this reason, pandas do not hibernate Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food is short, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate. It is the animal's slowed metabolic rate which leads to a, which is similar to other subtropical mammals, and will instead move to elevations with warmer temperatures.[22] Pandas rely primarily on spatial memory In cognitive psychology and neuroscience, spatial memory is the part of memory responsible for recording information about one's environment and its spatial orientation. For example, a person's spatial memory is required in order to navigate around a familiar city, just as a rat's spatial memory is needed to learn the location of food at the end rather than visual memory Visual memory is a part of memory preserving some characteristics of our senses pertaining to visual experience. We are able to place in memory information that resembles objects, places, animals or people in sort of a mental image. Some authors refer to this experience as an “our mind's eye” through which we can retrieve from our memory a.[23]
Social encounters occur primarily during the brief breeding season in which pandas in proximity to one another will gather.[24] After mating, the male leaves the female alone to raise the cub.[25]
Diet
Pandas eating bamboo at the National Zoo The Smithsonian National Zoological Park, commonly known as the National Zoo, is a zoo located in Washington, D.C. It is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums . Founded in 1889, it consists of two distinct installations: a 163 acre (0.7 km²) zoo within the Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C., and a 3,200 acre (13 km²) Conservation in Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790. The City of Washington was originally a separate municipality within the Territory of Columbia until an act of Congress in 1871 effectively merged the City and the Panda eating, standing, playingDespite its taxonomic Alpha taxonomy is the science of finding, describing and categorising organisms, thus leading to the recognition of proposed taxonomic groups, or taxa (singular: taxon), which may then be named classification as a carnivoran The diverse order Carnivora (pronounced /kɑrˈnɪvərə/ or sometimes /ˌkɑrnɪˈvɔərə/; from Latin carō "flesh", + vorāre "to devour") includes over 260 species of placental mammals. Its members are formally referred to as carnivorans, while the word "carnivore" (often popularly applied to members of this, the Giant Panda has a diet In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management reasons . Although humans are omnivores, each culture that is primarily herbivorous Herbivores are animals that are adapted to eat plants. Herbivory is a form of predation in which an organism consumes principally autotrophs[page needed] such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in general are known as primary consumers, which consists almost exclusively of bamboo.[20] However, the Giant Panda still has the digestive system of a carnivore, as well as carnivore-specific genes,[26] and thus derives little energy and little protein from consumption of bamboo. Its ability to digest cellulose Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula n, a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand β(1→4) linked D-glucose units is ascribed to the microbes in its gut.[27] The average Giant Panda eats as much as 9 to 14 kg (20 to 30 pounds) of bamboo shoots a day. Because the Giant Panda consumes a diet low in nutrition, it is important for it to keep its digestive tract full.[20] The limited energy input imposed on it by its diet has affected the panda's behavior. The Giant Panda tends to limit its social interactions and avoids steeply sloping terrain in order to limit its energy expenditures.[28]
Two of the panda's most distinctive features, its large size and its round face, are adaptations Adaptation is the evolutionary process whereby a population becomes better suited to its habitat. This process takes place over many generations, and is one of the basic phenomena of biology to its bamboo diet. Panda researcher Russell Ciochon observed that: “[much] like the vegetarian gorilla Gorillas are the largest of the living primates. They are ground-dwelling and predominantly herbivorous. They inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies. The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of a human, between 95 and 99% depending on what is counted, and they are the, the low body surface area to body volume [of the giant panda] is indicative of a lower metabolic rate. This lower metabolic rate and a more sedentary lifestyle allow the giant panda to subsist on nutrient poor resources such as bamboo.”[28] Similarly, the Giant Panda's round face is the result of powerful jaw muscles, which attach from the top of the head to the jaw.[28] Large molars crush and grind fibrous plant material.
Pandas eat any of twenty-five bamboo species in the wild, such as Fargesia dracocephala[29] and Fargesia rufa.[30] Only a few bamboo species are widespread at the high altitudes pandas now inhabit. Bamboo leaves contain the highest protein levels; stems have less.[31]
Because of the synchronous flowering, death, and regeneration of all bamboo within a species, the Giant Panda must have at least two different species available in its range to avoid starvation. While primarily herbivorous, the Giant Panda still retains decidedly ursine teeth, and will eat meat, fish, and eggs when available. In captivity, zoos typically maintain the Giant Panda's bamboo diet, though some will provide specially formulated biscuits or other dietary supplements.[32]
Genomics
The giant panda genome was sequenced in 2009 using a next-generation sequencing technology.[33] Its genome contains 20 pairs of autosomes An autosome is a chromosome that is not a sex chromosome – that is to say there are an equal number of copies of the chromosome in males and females. For example, in humans, there are twenty-two pairs of autosomes, and, in addition, there are the X and Y sex chromosomes and one pair of sex chromosomes.
Classification
For many decades the precise taxonomic classification of the Giant Panda was under debate because it shares characteristics of both bears and raccoons The raccoon (pronounced /ræˈkuːn/ , Procyon lotor), sometimes spelled as racoon, also known as the common raccoon, North American raccoon, northern raccoon and colloquially as coon, is a medium-sized mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of 40 to 70 cm (16 to 28 in) and a body weight of 3.[34] However, molecular studies Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of heredity and variation in living organisms. The fact that living things inherit traits from their parents has been used since prehistoric times to improve crop plants and animals through selective breeding. However, the modern science of genetics, which seeks to understand the process of suggest that the Giant Panda is a true bear and part of the Ursidae Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern Hemisphere and partially in the Southern Hemisphere family,[35][36] though it differentiated early in history from the main ursine stock. The Giant Panda's closest ursine relative is the Spectacled Bear The Spectacled Bear , also known as the Andean Bear and locally as ukuko, jukumari or ucumari is the last remaining 'short-faced' bear (subfamily Tremarctinae) and the closest living relative to the Florida spectacled bear and short-faced bears of the Middle Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene age of South America South America is the southern continent of America, situated in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean; North America and the Caribbean Sea lie to the northwest.[37] The Giant Panda has been referred to as a living fossil Living fossil is an informal term for any living species of organism which appears to be the same as a species otherwise only known from fossils and which has no close living relatives. These species have all survived major extinction events, and generally retain low taxonomic diversities. A species which successfully radiates (forming many new.[38]
Despite the shared name, habitat type, and diet, as well as a unique enlarged bone called the pseudo thumb (which helps them grip the bamboo shoots they eat), the Giant Panda and Red Panda are only distantly related. Molecular studies Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of heredity and variation in living organisms. The fact that living things inherit traits from their parents has been used since prehistoric times to improve crop plants and animals through selective breeding. However, the modern science of genetics, which seeks to understand the process of have placed the Red Panda in its own family Ailuridae Ailuridae is a family in the mammal order Carnivora. The family includes the Red Panda and its extinct relatives, and not under Ursidae Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern Hemisphere and partially in the Southern Hemisphere.
Hua Mei, the baby panda born at the San Diego Zoo The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, is one of the largest and most progressive zoos in the world, with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species. It is also one of the few zoos in the world that houses the giant panda. It is privately operated by the nonprofit Zoological Society of San Diego on 107 acres of parkland leased in 1999.
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Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:14:47 GMT+00:00
UPI.com As effort and resources are being expended to protect the endangered giant panda , identifying additional possible habitat for them can aid future ...
UQ News
Fri, 13 Aug 2010 11:22:44 GM
Giant pandas. live in mountain ranges in central China's Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces. Human activities such as farming, forest clearing and development have restricted their ability to live in nearby lowland areas, forcing them ...
Q. Kind of random, but I can't seem to find an answer from a reputable source anywhere. Thanks. I have tried googling it, and most of the results involve servers - not animals. I saw 30 somewhere as well, but it was from such a silly looking site that I'm not sure if it is correct.
Asked by shortynumber7 - Mon Aug 20 13:15:35 2007 - - 0 Answers - 0 Comments
A. like 30 MPHs but not for sure i'd try google it
Answered by Yankees Fan - Mon Aug 20 13:24:38 2007
