Giant panda short. Giant panda or bamboo bear (animal)

Understanding the origin of the word "panda" is not a simple problem. The first mention of the giant panda in literature occurred more than 3,000 years ago in the Book of History and the Book of Songs (the earliest collection of Chinese poetry), which referred to the creature as pi and pixiu.

It was a long time ago. A family of Chinese shepherds settled on the slope of a mountain. Every morning they took out a flock of sheep to graze near the bamboo thickets. And a little panda came out of the forest to play with the sheep, because they were as white as him.
One day a huge leopard attacked a flock of sheep.
The sheep ran away, and the panda could not run fast. And he would not have escaped death, but the young shepherdess was not at a loss and began to beat the leopard with a stick.
She drove off the evil beast, but she herself received many wounds. And the brave shepherdess died. When the other pandas learned that the girl gave her life for their fellow panda, they began to cry bitterly and sprinkle themselves with ashes.
Crying, the pandas rubbed their eyes and covered their ears so as not to hear the echoes of universal grief. Consoling each other, they held their paws and sobbed. Since then, the snow-white skins of pandas have turned black, but not entirely, but only on the eyes, ears and paws.

The animal later appeared in Er Ya, the first Chinese dictionary; in the Classics of Seas and Mountains, famous book by geography; and in Annotated Readings from the Book of Songs. These books gave the panda three new names - mo, zhi yi and bai hu - and described the creature as white fox, a white leopard and an animal similar to a tiger or polar bear. As if this bamboo lover's identity wasn't already confusing enough, giant panda in later literature it also received new names meng shi shou (predator), bai bao (white leopard), shi ti shou (iron-eating animal) and zhu xiong (bamboo bear). To this day, the Chinese name for the giant panda is still a matter of debate. Is it a banded bear (huaxiong), a cat bear (maoxiong), a bear-like cat (xiongmao), or a great panda (daxiongmao)?

Pandas, the common name for two species of Asian mammals of the order Carnivora, several similar friends similar in appearance and lifestyle, but belonging to different families. Big panda, or bamboo bear (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), reaches a length of 1.5 m, not counting the tail (another 12.5 cm), and a weight of 160 kg. The animal has a very characteristic pattern: black or dark brown ears, “glasses” around the eyes, nose, lips and limbs, including the shoulder “yoke”, and the rest of the body is white, sometimes with a reddish tint. This species is found in the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi, where it lives in dense thickets bamboo among coniferous forests on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau. Usually observed at altitudes of 2700–3900 m above sea level, although in winter it sometimes descends to 800 m above sea level. Since the second half of the 20th century, the panda has become something of a national emblem of China. The giant panda feeds almost exclusively on bamboo, sometimes including other plants in its diet, such as irises and saffron, and even small mammals such as rodents. Usually the animal feeds in a sitting position for 10–12 hours a day, holding bamboo shoots with the “prethumbs” and the first two toes of the front paws, peeling the hard outer layer from the plants with its teeth, and then slowly chewing the peeled stem. This species is on the verge of extinction and is listed in the International Red Book. According to existing estimates, in the mid-1990s there were no more than 1,000 of its individuals left in the wild. Although killing a giant panda in China is punishable by... the death penalty, the main threat to it, apparently, remains poaching. Local peasants kill animals for their fur, and some individuals die in poachers’ traps set for musk deer. The taxonomic position of the giant panda has been controversial for many years: it was classified as a member of the raccoon families (Procyonidae), bears (Ursidae), or allocated to a special panda family (Ailuropodidae). However, molecular analysis, which included a comparison of proteins and DNA of this species and the named groups of carnivores, fully confirmed its proximity to bears, assumed on the basis of anatomical and paleontological data. From the evolutionary line that led to them modern species, the ancestors of the giant panda separated 15–25 million years ago, so it was decided to separate it into a special subfamily Ailuropodinae of the bear family.

The red panda (lat. Ailurus fulgens - “cat painted like fire”, also known as the red panda, “cat-bear”, “fire cat” - an animal of the little panda family, mainly herbivorous, small in size bigger than a cat. Systematic position of the red panda for a long time it was unclear. It was classified either as a raccoon family, or as a bear family, or as a separate family. However, recent genetic studies have shown that the red panda forms its own family, Ailluridae, which, together with the families of raccoons, skunks and mustelids, forms the superfamily Musteloidea. Body length 51-64 cm, tail 28-48 cm, weighs 3-4.5 kg. The body is elongated, the tail is fluffy, the head is wide, with a short sharp muzzle and large pointed ears. Has 38 teeth. The paws are short, strong, with semi-retractable claws. The fur of the red panda is red or hazel on top, dark, reddish-brown or black below. The hair on the back has yellow tips. The paws are glossy black, the tail is red, with inconspicuous lighter narrow rings, the head is light, and the edges of the ears and muzzle are almost white, and near the eyes there is a pattern in the form of a mask. In appearance, the red panda is closest to the kinkajou. Written mentions of this beast in China go back to the 13th century, but Europeans learned about it only in the 19th century. It was officially “discovered” in 1821 by the English general and naturalist Thomas Hardwicke, who collected material on the territory of the English colonies. He suggested calling this animal the word “wha” - one of its Chinese names, based on the imitation of the sounds made by the animal. In addition, the general said, the Chinese call it “hun-ho” and “poonya”, from which the modern panda is derived. However Latin name- Ailurus fulgens (brilliant cat), the new animal was given by the French naturalist Frederic Cuvier. The range of the red panda is limited to the provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan in China, northern Burma, Bhutan, Nepal and northeast India. It is not found west of Nepal. Lives in mountain bamboo forests at an altitude of 2000-4000 m above sea level in conditions temperate climate. The ancestors of today's pandas were much more widespread; their remains are found in Eastern Europe, and in North America.

However, these animals were obviously adapted to a certain type of climate, with the change of which their range sharply decreased. The red panda leads a predominantly nocturnal (or rather, crepuscular) lifestyle, sleeping in a hollow during the day, curled up and covering its head with its tail. In case of danger, it also climbs trees. On the ground, pandas move slowly and awkwardly, but they climb trees well, but nevertheless they feed mainly on the ground. Although the red panda is a member of the order of carnivores, 95% of its diet consists of young leaves and shoots of bamboo. The remaining 5% are various fruits, berries, mushrooms, bird eggs and even small rodents. Unlike the giant panda, the small panda is very selective in its diet. If the “bamboo bear” eats almost all parts of the bamboo, the red panda looks for softer shoots. Observations have shown that red pandas spend 13 hours a day feeding. When calm, red pandas make short sounds reminiscent of bird chirping. The red panda has a peaceful character and easily takes root in captivity. Pandas live in pairs or families in forests. The “personal” territory of the female, as recent studies show, occupies an area of ​​about 2.5 km?, the male - twice as much. The breeding season for pandas begins in January. Between mating and childbirth, the female takes from 90 to 145 days, of which only 50 days account for the actual development of the embryo, since fetal development does not begin immediately after conception, but quite a while later. long time called diapause. Shortly before giving birth, the female builds a nest of branches and leaves in a hollow or cleft in a rock. In a litter of 1-2, occasionally there are 4 blind cubs, but rarely more than one survives. They sometimes stay with their mother for a whole year, until a new litter. Although the red panda's habitat occupies a very large territory and it has few natural enemies, this species is included in the International Red Book with the status "Endangered". The fact is that the density of animals in nature is very low, and, in addition, the habitats of the red panda can easily be destroyed. Fortunately, the red panda breeds well in captivity. Currently, about 300 of these animals are kept in 85 zoos around the world, and the same number have been born in captivity over the past two decades.

The spotted bear, captivating with his good-natured smile, clumsy manner of eating bamboo, funny movements and sweet eyes, has long become a favorite of adults and children.

The giant panda in his black and white “fur coat” looks very attractive. It is considered one of the most ancient animals in the world and is currently on the verge of extinction. Giant pandas live exclusively in high mountains and in the deep valleys of the upper Yangtze River. They feed on leaves and young shoots of bamboo. Due to continuous deterioration natural environment, which led to the flowering of monocarpic bamboo species and their widespread death, the number of giant pandas living in the wild is significantly reduced. Currently, there are only about 1,000 of them worldwide.

A few facts about pandas: Special diet The giant panda is very unusual for mammals. Only a handful of animals depend so heavily on bamboo, including the red panda, bamboo lemurs (golden bamboo lemur, greater bamboo lemur, and bamboo lemur (Hapalemur griseus)) found in Madagascar, and bamboo rats (including Rhizomys sinensis, R. pruinosus, and R. .sumatrensis), found in China and South-East Asia. (Roberts 1992).

Bamboo varieties typically reproduce using lateral shoots underground. Periodically, bamboo reproduces in another way - by flowering, often over a wide area, producing seeds and then dying. Generally it takes 2 to 3 years before new shoots emerge from the seeds. Between 1974 and 1976, umbrella bamboo (Fargesia), and other bamboo species on which pandas depend, became extinct across large areas of northern Sichuan and China. As a result, at least 138 pandas died. (Schaller et al. 1985)

Although poaching giant pandas was punishable by death by the late 1980s, the financial reward for selling a giant panda skin was so high (more than the lifetime income of the average peasant) that even the death penalty did not seem to be a deterrent: "Even though I risked my life, it was worth it" - this quote from a poacher caught by the police. - "If you hadn't caught me, I would have been rich." (Schaller 1993)

In 1995, a Chinese farmer who shot and killed a giant panda and tried to sell its skin was sentenced to life in prison. (Oryx 1995q).

"Local residents hunted pandas a lot until 1949... last years However, most people have realized the rarity and value of the panda, now realizing that the panda is a national treasure, they are helping rather than killing it. When, for example, a sick adult panda came into the community in October 1978, the family fed it sugar beets and rice until it left three days later" (Schaller 1985).

The story of this non-bear is very interesting and even romantic. In the second half of the last century, an event occurred in the circles of zoologists and naturalists that alarmed even venerable scientists in many countries. An original colored skin of a large animal, similar at first glance to a bear, was delivered to the Natural History Museum in Paris. But when they spread it on the floor, they thought that it had been sewn by a skilled craftsman from large scraps of black and white. Mystery! The skin was thoroughly examined, turned over in the hands this way and that, but no traces of cutting and sewing, gluing or other fastening were found. What kind of skin is this? - the scientists thought. Maybe it belongs to an extinct animal? But some experts objected and believed that the fur on the skin was cleverly etched or dyed, but in reality it was a bear. But who and where obtained and delivered this mystery skin to Paris? In 1869, French missionary Armand David traveled to China. In addition to his religious activities, he, being a naturalist, simultaneously collected information about the animal world of the country and acquired interesting exhibits. In one of the remote villages of Sichuan province, he discovered this strange skin on the fence of a house. David acquired it after local residents told him that it belonged to a real beast that lived in the vicinity of the village, high in the mountains among bamboo thickets. The name of the animal is "bei-shung", which roughly translates to "white mountain bear". A. David managed to send the skin to Paris, and he continued the search for the owner of the skin. He got lucky. In the same year, he purchased a killed bei-shung from hunters, processed it and sent it to France with his hunting stories. This was 114 years ago. Having received the second skin and skeleton, scientists were able to draw conclusions. For a great deal external resemblance With an ordinary bear and based on the nature of its diet (A. David reported that bei-shungs feed mainly on bamboo), it was originally called a bamboo bear. However, having carefully studied the received materials, zoologists soon abandoned the hasty identification of a new animal based on many morphological and anatomical features classified as a member of the raccoon family and called the giant panda. Big because earlier, in 1825, the red panda, an animal that lives in some areas of Asia, was added to the family. In appearance, it differs sharply from the new one, and the small and large pandas are listed in their family in different genera. Years passed, but the original name of the giant panda - bamboo bear - turned out to be tenacious, and it is often used in everyday life, since the external resemblance to a bear is undeniable. I must admit that when I first saw a live giant panda during a trip to China, I was also amazed by its appearance. Well straight away polar bear wearing large horn-rimmed glasses at an animal carnival, wearing a black vest, black gloves, stockings, and headphones. The discovery of an unusual beast, as usual, turned against him. Not only scientists, but also hunters of rare hunting trophies, hunters and traders of wild animals became interested in the panda. Many adventurers from Europe and the New World flocked to China. But getting to the giant pandas' habitats was extremely difficult. In the path of the hunters stood high mountains, impassable roads, dense forests, impenetrable thickets of bamboo, numerous water barriers, mountain collapses... With the help of local residents, the first giant panda was caught in 1916, but it quickly died. And only twenty years later, an American woman acquired a young panda and safely delivered her to the USA, to the city of San Francisco. Local hunters, as soon as they caught the animal, named it Su-Lin, which translated meant “a small piece of enormous value.” And this was true. The giant panda is the rarest animal in the world. It is distributed only in the People's Republic of China. Now inhabits mountain forests at an altitude of up to two thousand meters above sea level and higher in Sichuan province. Perhaps it has also been preserved in unexplored, hard-to-reach places in Gansu province and a number of regions of Tibet. The first born in captivity, Su-Lin (it was a female), was exhibited in a number of US zoos. Some time later, after a long search, two adult pandas were again brought to the United States, and then several of these animals ended up in London. Until that time, there were no such animals in any of the zoos in the world. After the Second World War, the habitat areas of these rare animals were declared protected areas. Several research groups have begun to carefully study the Beishung to see if the bamboo bears can be kept and bred in captivity. The expeditions were successful. In 1957, the giant panda first settled in our country, in a special house on the territory of the Moscow Zoo. It was a large male named Pin-Pin. And in the summer of 1959, we managed to purchase a second copy, according to the plan, in pair with Pin-Pin. His name was An-An, but, unfortunately, he also turned out to be a male. So two handsome little boys lived with us in Moscow. In 1961, an Austrian merchant took a large group of African animals to China and exchanged them for a young female giant panda named Chi-Chi. With this zoological star, one of the prominent English zoologists named it so - the owner of Chi-Chi arrived in England, where he sold it to the London Zoological Society for huge money. In 1966, the British suggested that we reunite the Moscow gentleman An-An with Chi-Chi. We agreed, and the overseas bride arrived from London to Moscow on a special flight. It was housed in a transport “carriage” made of plexiglass, non-ferrous metals and plastic. This extraordinary guest was met by zoological scientists, representatives of our government agencies, employees of the capital's zoo, employees of the British Embassy and a great many correspondents. One of them said jokingly: “I often visit the capital’s international airport as part of my work, but I have never met a single prime minister like this.” And indeed, there was a lot of noise. Chi-Chi lived at the Moscow Zoo for six months, but did not become friends with AnyAny, and was sent back. In 1968, the experiment was repeated. This time An-An flew to visit Chi-Chi. He lived in London for six months and also to no avail. But, as you know, every cloud has a silver lining: both meetings, although they did not give the desired result, helped us better understand the peculiarities of the biology of giant pandas. For example, no one suspected that animals that are good-natured in appearance and completely gentle in character can, under certain circumstances, be very aggressive. Sometimes fierce fights took place between our “informants.” It was necessary to separate them with fire hoses, blank shots from hunting rifles, and also use special pikes and shields made of thick plywood. When attacking and defending, the animals showed great dexterity and techniques typical of predators: grabbing the enemy with their front paws, powerful blows to the enemy’s head with their paws, rapid ramming with their entire body weight, grabbing with their teeth, and so on. It turned out that these usually silent animals have very loud voices. The excited Chi-Chi whined, and then made such sharp trumpet sounds that the glass in the windows next door shook. She even mooed, just like a cow. During meetings, the gentleman bleated like a sheep, squealed, and at critical moments of the fight he trumpeted and mooed.

For a long time, nothing was known about the reproduction of giant pandas, but in September 1963, in the Beijing Zoo, a female named Li-Li gave birth to a baby whose weight was 142 grams. He grew very quickly and by the age of five months he had gained ten kilograms. The baby was named Min-Min, that is, “brilliant, sparkling.” For the first ten days after birth, the female did not let him go even while eating. She tossed the two-month-old cub from paw to paw, playing with it like a doll. At three months old, the shiny one began to move independently - the mother would fall asleep, and he would go for a walk, but she quickly woke up, instantly found her child and spanked him with her paw. In September 1964, the same female gave birth to a second baby, and scientists were able to determine that giant pandas carry their cubs for approximately 140 days. Young pandas in captivity are very playful. They are good-natured, funny, move a lot, take the most unusual poses: - they can stand on their heads, helping themselves with their front paws, they tumble over their heads very well, they deftly climb grates and nets, ladders, ropes and poles . With their front paws they hold balls, enamel and aluminum bowls while waiting to be filled with food. They treat people without any hostility, but when playing and fussing, they have no sense of restraint; they can accidentally grab them with their teeth, scratch them with the claws of their front paws and press them against the wall. But at the same time, they are well tamed and quickly remember the nicknames given to them. Having reached three or four years of age, giant pandas become slower, they are no longer so trusting of people, and they have to be handled with caution. The beast is not small. The shoulder height of adult animals is up to seventy, and the body length is up to one hundred and seventy centimeters. Solid and weighty. An adult male who lived in the Moscow Zoo reached 185 kilograms by the age of twelve, and he was not overfed; this is strictly monitored at the zoo.

The "solidity" of adult pandas is expressed in their amazing poses. They can sit as if in a chair, leaning one of their front paws on a ledge and leaning their back against some object. In this position, they can take a nap or slowly do their toilet, or they simply clean the branches of brooms from leaves and slowly chew them. In nature, pandas are active at dawn and at night. The same was observed in the zoo. From about ten in the morning until four or five in the afternoon, most of the time the animals were in the shade, stretched out on the ground of the pen or on the floor of the cage, and dozed. With the onset of dusk, they became active, moved a lot, played, fed, and from the traces they left, we established that they were not idle even in the dark. Their fur coat is warm, outside temperature air down to minus ten degrees, our pets willingly walked in open enclosures, swam in the snow, and walked a lot with their characteristic waddling gait with a sort of shaking of their heads from side to side. We noticed that pandas are very clean. Most of the time they are silent, only occasionally making sounds similar to bleating. They don't like summer torrential rains, they hide from them in shelters, but after the rain they willingly wander through puddles and damp grass. But they refuse to swim in the pool, they just run in the shallow water, splashing themselves with splashes.

The giant panda has captivated the whole world with its touching appearance. 15 years ago, many experts predicted the extinction of giant pandas as bamboo forests in western China were rapidly being cut down. Currently, according to the most optimistic estimates, natural conditions Just over 1,500 animals have survived and the giant panda is officially listed in the Red Book. Serious steps are being taken to prevent its extinction and increase the number of animals. However, giant pandas are well known to zoologists for their low sexual activity, so there are huge problems with breeding them in captivity. Every giant panda born immediately becomes a star.

Brief description of the species

Giant panda belongs to rare species animals. The number of individuals in the wild is about 1,600 bears. The area of ​​settlement is central China, mainly mountainous areas and the foothills of Tibet.

Panda has a row distinctive features. These are relatively small animals, body length no more than 1.5 m, the weight of the animal usually reaches 160 kg. Unlike other bears, the panda has a long tail - 12 cm - and its body is covered with thick hair. Particularly striking are the black paws and black circles around the eyes.

Pandas are vegetarians. Their main diet consists of bamboo leaves. If possible, a panda can feast on bird eggs that have fallen from the nest, but the bamboo diet is the basis of the panda's diet. The lifespan of pandas is 14-20 years. The long-lived panda lived 26 years.

Discovery history

The panda became known to Western countries only after 1869. The species was glorified by the French missionary Armand David (1826-1900). These animals came into fashion in the West quite quickly. The reason for the love for the panda that appeared in Europe was its appearance: they are similar to plush toys depicting bears, and besides, pandas are staunch vegetarians.

At first, after the discovery of this amazing animal by European science, the panda was considered a relative of the raccoon; the assumption that the panda-bear appeared only in 1921 and belongs to R. Pokkok. Today, the nickname “bamboo bear” is firmly attached to this animal.

Classification

Pandas belong to the animal kingdom, the chordate phylum, the vertebrate subphylum, the mammalian class, the placental infraclass, the carnivorous order, the bear family, the genus and the species “big panda”.

Australian paleontologist E. Tennius, based on an analysis of the morphology, biochemistry, cardiology and ethology of the giant panda, proved that in 16 parameters it is close to bears and only in five - to the red panda and raccoons.

Spreading

The giant panda's habitat is not extensive: it lives in several western provinces of China (Sichuan, Gansu, Tibet). Previously, it also lived in mountain bamboo forests in Indochina and on the island of Kalimantan. The total range covers 29,500 km², but only 5,900 km² is home to the panda.

For settlement, pandas choose impenetrable bamboo forests at an altitude of 1200 - 1400 m above sea level. This bear prefers to hide in bamboo thickets 3-4 m high, which provide the panda with shelter and food. This is usually rainy and difficult terrain.

Life in nature

Currently, the panda has no natural enemies left; the main threat to its existence comes from humans and is associated with the constant decline of forests. Bamboo makes up 99% of the bears' total diet: both stems and roots of the plant are eaten.
Monotonous food has little nutritional value and is difficult to digest, so the panda is forced to chew almost all his waking hours (which is 10-12 hours a day), moving through the bamboo thicket. To get enough nutrition, they are forced to eat 12 to 18 kg of bamboo per day. When animals digest bamboo, they use an average of only 17% of the dry matter, so giant pandas have an extremely strict energy budget for their bodies. They travel little and usually only to search for food.

Animals are active at any time of the day or night. The panda does not hide in trees and does not make a permanent den, but in bad weather it sometimes hides in bamboo branches, rock crevices and caves. Giant pandas are primarily terrestrial animals, although they are good climbers. During the cold season, the panda is inactive; in snowy winters, it sometimes falls asleep. a short time in a kind of hibernation, but unlike other bears, she does not sleep in winter.

Many people find the panda not only attractive, but also a gentle, harmless animal, but in reality, giant pandas can be just as dangerous as any other bear. Thanks to her increased caution and secretive lifestyle, it is only occasionally possible to get a panda for the zoo, and even in the largest zoos in the world they are very rare, as indeed in their homeland.

Pandas are mostly solitary, except during mating and raising offspring. Giant pandas occupy a territory of 3.9-6.4 km² (males have larger ranges than females), which is much smaller than that of other bear species. In this case, the territories of males partially cover the territories of females.

Relationship with a person

Pandas have long been persecuted for their fur, which is highly valued (in Japan, the price of one skin reaches $200,000). Until recently, panda fur was used to make very valuable sleeping mats, as it was believed to have supernatural properties that help predict the future through dreams.

The giant panda is in the Red Book and is one of the rarest, poorly studied large animals, which is facilitated by a secretive lifestyle. It became known only in the middle of the 19th century, and naturalists first observed a living panda in nature only in 1913. In China, the giant panda is declared a national treasure. A census conducted in 2004 estimated that the wild giant panda population included approximately 1,600 animals. About 140 pandas live in zoos. It breeds rarely in captivity and, for the most part, in China.

Interesting Facts

Not everyone knows that leasing giant pandas to zoos in the US and Japan was an important part of Chinese diplomacy in the 1970s; it was one of the first cultural exchange between East and West. However, starting in 1984, pandas were no longer used for diplomatic purposes. Instead, China is offering pandas to other countries on a 10-year lease. Standard lease terms include a rent of US$1 million per year and a guarantee that all cubs born during the lease period are the property of the People's Republic of China.

The giant panda has another name - bamboo bear. This mammal belongs to the bear family, but has some characteristics of raccoons. Lives in China and is its official symbol. This is one of the endangered animals; the panda is listed in the Red Book. Now only about 1,600 individuals live in natural conditions, and the same number are in zoos.

Panda

Beautiful legend

The charming black and white bear cub has earned fame and love all over the world. In China there is ancient legend, which explains the panda's coloring.

According to this legend, once upon a time, a family of shepherds settled on the slopes of the mountains. Every day, the shepherds took a flock of sheep to the pasture, where a little panda came to play with them. But one day a leopard attacked the sheep. The sheep ran away, but the little bear cub could not run fast and did not have time to hide. And he could not escape death. But the young shepherdess took a stick and drove the leopard away from the little bear cub, and she herself died from the claws terrible beast. Having learned about this, the pandas began to cry and sprinkled themselves with ashes as a sign of mourning for the brave girl. Wiping away tears, they left black spots on their snow-white skin. Since then, the panda skin has been a mourning for the dead girl.

Characteristics of a panda

The anatomy of pandas is unique, as it contains characteristics of both the bear and raccoon families. The classification of these animals was accompanied by controversy among scientists. After much research, they determined that giant pandas are bears.

Is a panda a raccoon or a bear?

Externally, a panda looks like a bear. Unlike ordinary bears, it has a different paw structure and a tail about 12 cm long. Pandas have a unique color - the main color of the fur is white, with black ears, legs and shoulders, and black spots near the eyes, creating the effect of glasses. All this combined with a cute face makes the panda look like a big teddy bear.

The structure of the panda's paw is “grasping”. This helps animals climb high into trees. They do this for different purposes - in search of food, to survey the surroundings, just to play or relax, lying on the branches.

Panda eats

These animals live in dense bamboo thickets, which serve them as food and shelter. Young bamboo stems and leaves are the main food of pandas. They hold the bamboo stem in their paw using the so-called “sixth finger,” which is opposed to the others. In fact, it is not a finger, it is a growth on one of the bones of the paw. With its help, pandas can hold objects in their paws, successfully climb trees, grab branches and perform other actions that are inaccessible to ordinary bears.

The menu of these animals consists almost 100% of bamboo. Leaves and young shoots are eaten, but not of all types of bamboo, but only 10-15 out of 300 growing in China. A panda can eat 14 hours a day, and during this time eats about 20 kilograms of food.

Relationship between people and animals

These are extremely peaceful animals; they never attack humans. In ancient books, the panda is called a symbol of peace, since it does not kill living creatures. But there are very few of them left in the world, and the reason for this is man. People, in pursuit of profit, exterminated these charming bears for the sake of valuable skins, cut down bamboo forests, thereby depriving not only pandas of food and housing, but also other animals.

Panda on the symbol of the WWT organization

Nowadays people are thinking about this problem. China has introduced the death penalty for killing or harming pandas. The habitats of pandas have been declared protected areas, and zoos around the world preserve and increase the number of these animals.

It’s just a pity that people, for the sake of profit, without thinking, disturb the natural balance, only to then restore it with great difficulty and expense.

The panda is a bamboo bear that lives in the forests of China at an altitude of at least 4500 meters above sea level. Called the "Bamboo Bear" because it feeds mainly on bamboo.

Pandas live quite a long time, up to 25 years in captivity and approximately 15-17 years in the wild. They are not small, the height is about 2 meters for the male and slightly less for the female. Average weight bears weigh up to 120 kg.

Pandas are classified as bears because they are very similar in appearance, but their body structure is very different. Pandas have short, thick feet with long claws and pads that help them grip the bamboo. They also have a long tail - about 12cm. Red pandas (little pandas) used to belong to the raccoon family, but recently they were still assigned to the bear kingdom.

The red panda is very different from its relative in both color and body size, but still they are not considered a raccoon.

The panda feeds only on bamboo; there are about 30 species of it. One bear consumes about 18 kg of bamboo per day; as it becomes smaller, the panda population decreases. Pandas receive minimal energy from bamboo, which is why they are inactive.

Giant pandas are in danger of extinction, as back in the 90s there were about 1,000 individuals. In China, the skin was highly valued Big panda, but for killing a panda a person faced the death penalty.

Red (small) panda

The red panda has no big size, and due to its color in China it acquired the name - fiery fox.

This panda has a height of no more than 50 cm and weighs about 6 kg.

The fire fox has a beautiful red color, a long fluffy tail and long claws on its paws. Unlike Bolshaya, she feeds not only on bamboo, but also on bird eggs or small rodents; she is a predator by nature. IN winter period A red panda can eat berries, eggs, and mushrooms to get all the necessary substances. When there is a lot of bamboo, the panda eats about 5.5 kg of bamboo per day. The red panda lives on average 7-12 years.

The red panda, like the Giant Panda, cannot boast of an increase in population.

Pandas are very cute and beautiful, both children and adults are touched by them.
They are clumsy and love to play around, which increases their popularity on the Internet.

Report 2

Panda is a mammal. Color black and white. Despite the fact that the panda is a bear, it has the characteristics of a raccoon. Omnivorous, but mainly feeds on bamboo, and belongs to the predatory order. It can also eat eggs, insects and birds.

Lives exclusively in China. Unlike other bears, the bamboo bear does not hibernate at all. The body length is from 1.2 to 1.8 meters. Weight – 17 – 160 kilograms. Until 2016 it was considered an endangered species. Currently, their numbers are gradually increasing. If you kill a bamboo bear in China, you will be executed.

Another kind of panda

There is still a certain species of panda in the world - the red panda. Also Mammals, also in the order Carnivora, also feed on vegetation, but there are two noticeable differences noticeable to the naked eye. Firstly, the size of this animal is no larger than that of a cat. Secondly, the color of the coat.

Red pandas are red on top and dark brown below. They weigh from 4 to 10 kilograms. Lead night look life. In addition to all kinds of herbs, they can eat berries, mushrooms and some rodents. When in danger they climb trees. Listed in the Red Book. The reason for this was deforestation, as well as poaching. There are only 2,500 animals left. They live in China, India, the Himalayas and Nepal.

Enemies of pandas

In this regard, they were lucky. Not only are there few opponents of bears, but also in areas where pandas live, enemies of bamboo bears are rare. Rivals include leopards and red wolves.

Curious facts about bamboo bears

The word “panda” translated from Chinese means “bear-cat”, and from Latin it means “black and white cat-paw”.

For quite a long time, biologists argued about which family to include pandas in. There were 2 options: either a bear or a raccoon. In the end, it was possible to prove that pandas are bears.

The giant and red pandas were never related to each other! A real relative of the common panda is the spectacled panda, located in South America.

The genes of humans and pandas are 67% identical.

Pandas have 6 toes on their paws instead of 5.

The bamboo bear is one of the rarest animals in the world.

Pandas are extremely cautious and try to avoid meeting people.

If a female gives birth to twins, she keeps the stronger baby for herself and leaves the other to the will of fate.

That's all that could be said about all types of pandas. Thank you for your attention.

2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th grade. The world

• Egyptian pyramids - message report

  Ancients Egyptian pyramids have always attracted people with their gigantic size and unique appearance, but especially the secrets hidden in them.

• Life and work of Sophocles

  Sophocles was one of the most prominent playwrights in Athens whose works survive to this day. Not much is known about early life Sophocles. He was born in the small town of Colon near Athens

• Report Why people get scurvy (Grade 4 - the world around us)

  In books about events that took place in past centuries, you can also find references to such a terrible disease as scurvy. It was usually found among sailors, explorers northern regions, in besieged cities and fortresses

• Opera - message report

  Opera – vocal theatrical genre classical music. It differs from classical dramatic theater in that the actors, who also perform surrounded by scenery and in costumes, do not speak but sing during the action.

• The life and work of Moliere

  Moliere - French theatergoer, one of the founders of the comedy genre theatrical productions. The future comedian Moliere was born on January 15, 1622

The giant panda belongs to the bear family. This is very unusual beast, listed in the International Red Book.

The reason is the cutting down of bamboo forests, and they have survived only in mountainous areas. It is known that bamboo is its main food.

The Big Panda is the emblem of the Wildlife Conservation Fund. Some scientists argue about whether this animal belongs to a specific family.

Some classify it as, some as, and others propose to separate it into a separate species.

The weight of the animal is 30 - 150 kg, body length 1.2 - 1.5 m, tail length 10 cm. The body is covered with thick fur, usually contrasting black and white.

The animal has thick paws with strong, strong claws, a massive head, and black ears are visible on it. There are black spots around the small eyes.

It lives in China, in the mountainous regions of Tibet and Sichuan. This is a forest inhabitant of bamboo groves. In his habitats cold climate, heavy rainfall.

The animal feeds mainly on bamboo; it does not disdain simple grass, grapes, and even flowers. It can eat small chicks and destroy bird nests. It can eat up to 30 kg of bamboo per day.

Leads a solitary lifestyle. Each individual has its own territory. He climbs trees well and can get into hard-to-reach places.

The female's pregnancy lasts five months. For childbirth, she selects a hole in the ground, under a tree. One or two cubs are born, statistically only one survives. The bear cub is very small and completely helpless, the baby weighs about 100 grams. He needs care and mother's warmth. Its body is covered with thin, sparse hair.

panda family photo

However, it won’t be long before the baby grows up, feeding on mother’s milk, and becomes quite independent. At four months he can already crawl, and his weight reaches 3 kilograms. He will be under his mother's care for about three years. Offspring are born once every two to four years.

IN wildlife A giant panda lives about 20 years. There are no more than 2,000 of them left.

• Class - Mammals
• Squad - Predatory
• Family - Bears
• Genus - Big pandas
• View - Big Panda