ABOUT THE GIANT PANDA

PANDAS IN CHINESE CULTURE

• Once thought they had medical powers
• Symbol of friendship and peace
• Described as an invincible animal in the Shangsu
• Sometimes compared to the yin yang symbol

PHYSICAL FEATURES

• Strong jaw muscles
• Black and white fur
• Large molar teeth

SIZE

• Males: 250 pounds in the wild
• Males are 20% heavier and 10% larger than females
• Almost 2x heavier than most humans
• Can reach 4-6 ft long
• Females rarely reach 220 pounds

WHERE DO THEY LIVE?

• Western China
• Used to live in South Eastern China
• Bamboo forests
• Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces

ENEMIES

• Snow leopards
• Jackals
• Yellow-throated martin
• Humans

DEFENCES

• Usually avoid fights
• Lower head and stare right at you
• Use physical strength
• Bite

FUN FACTS ABOUT PANDAS AND BAMBOO

• 10-16 hours finding and consuming bamboo
• Type of grass
• Spring: bamboo shoots
• Winter: the stems
• Summer and fall: mostly the leaves

FUN FACTS ABOUT PANDAS AND BAMBOO

• Don't provide much nutrition
• Over 100 types of bamboo
• Eat 4-5 types of bamboo

WHAT IS WWF?

• World Wildlife Federation
• Helps endangered animals

WEBSITES

• sites.google.com/site/bamboo257
• WWF.panda.org
• nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/pandaFacts/default.cfm