Animal Life - Panda Day
The Giant Panda is native to central China, with as few as 1,864 living in their natural habitat.
Another 600 live in zoos across the world, such as Tian Tian and Mei Xiang of the Smithsonian Zoo.
Pandas have been around for almost 20 million years, and are the oldest living species of bears.
The World Wildlife Fund has used the panda's image since their founding in 1961 - they represent the need for conservation and protection.
Their habitats are currently threatened by urbanization and climate change.
They used to live more in the lowlands, but farming and forest clearing have chased them into the forests of the mountain ranges.
Pandas eat A LOT of bamboo. Due to their digestive system, which reduces much of what they eat to waste, they have to eat 20-40 pounds per day to get all the nutrients they need. To achieve this, they spend 10-16 hours a day foraging for food. They like to take naps in between snacks.
Female pandas are only fertile 2-3 days a year, which means reproduction doesn't happen very often, even in captivity. But in August of last year, through artificial insemination, Mei Xiang gave birth to Xiao Qi Ji.
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