Giant Panda By: Jennifer Shankle

Taxonomy Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Ursidae Genus: Ailuropoda Species: melanoleuca

Habitat Pandas live in only six regions in the world. They live in southwestern China, Tibet, Burma, India, and Nepal. Pandas live in bamboo forests and are only found in altitudes above 3,600feet.

Eating Habits 90 % of Pandas’ diet is Bamboo stalks and leaves. They also eat fish and some meat when in captivity.

Social Habits Pandas are a solitary species. They spend most of their time alone. They are very vocal during mating season.

Mating Habits Pandas mate in early spring. They attract through an acidic scent rubbed on trees. The gestational period is days. Cubs are born in August or September.

Why is the Panda endangered? There are two main reasons the Panda is endangered: First, their habitat is diminishing. Second, their reproduction is very slow. Pandas only have one cub that lives each gestational period.

Preservation Efforts The biggest form of preservation for Pandas is captivity in zoos and breeding centers. In captivity, zookeepers can raise multiple cubs from each liter. Panda Kids is one of the largest preservation organizations.

Resources Bear Biology.com htmlhttp:// html habitat and species info Panda Pic World Wildlife Federation China press_release.htm Panda habitat map HedWeb.com animimag/panda.htm Panda eating Bamboo pic Panda Bears.org taxonomy info