Panda Bear

Do you know anything about panda? nope? me neither. since my nickname is panda, i decided to blog bout it.

The giant panda is a National Treasure of China and a symbol of the world's endangered wildlife animal, threatened by continued habitat loss and by a very low birthrate, both in the wild and in captivity. In China they call the panda "Xiongmao", which means Giant Cat Bear * 大熊貓*. It was believed that the panda have magical powers that could ward off natural disasters and evil spirits which can be traced back to 3,000 years ago.

A giant panda has a very distinctive black-and-white coat. Adults panda can measure around 1.5m long and around 75cm tall at the shoulder. Males panda can weigh up to 115kg (253 pounds) while females panda, generally smaller than males, can occasionally weigh up to 100kg (220 pounds). They live in mountainous regions, such as Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi, and Tibet.

The giant panda has an unusual paw, with a "thumb" and five fingers; the "thumb" is actually a modified sesamoid bone, which helps the panda to hold the bamboo while eating. The giant panda has a short tail, approximately 15 cm long and it can usually live to be 20-30 years old while living in captivity.

Pandas eat over fifteen different kinds of bamboo shoots and because of an inefficient intestinal system, the panda must be feed at least for 12 to 16 hours a day. They can consume fresh bamboos up to 84 pounds of bamboo each day. *sweat*

A giant panda is a sedentary bear, it will stays in a selected feeding area eating large amounts of bamboo unless it was startled where they will generally move in a slow, determined manner to escape danger. With their short claws, they are capable of climbing trees very easily.

This is Di Di, a male giant panda, born in Wolong, China. Cute isn't it?

Panda is such a majestic creature. It is sad to think that there may not be pandas around to much longer and the sadder of all is that we are the cause for it. :(

Hope those who have heard or read bout it, have a heart, help to save the forest!!