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Ten interesting facts about giant pandas

Jan 20th, 2010 by

© Fritz Pölking / WWF

10. The first panda came to the United States in 1936 – a cub to a zoo in Chicago. It took another 50 years before the States would see another.

9. A newborn panda cub is 1/900th the size of its mother and is comparable to the length of a stick of butter.

Weighing a 2 month-old baby © Susan A. Mainka / WWF-Canon

8. A panda’s paw has six digits – five fingers and an opposable pseudo-thumb (actually an enlarged wrist bone) it uses merely to hold bamboo while eating.

7. Of all the members of the bear family, only sloth bears have longer tails than pandas.

6. Pandas rely on spatial memory, not visual memory.

5. Female pandas ovulate once a year and are fertile for only two or three days.

4. The giant panda’s genome was sequenced in 2009, according to the journal Nature.

3. The WWF logo was inspired by Chi-Chi, a giant panda brought to the London Zoo in 1961, when WWF was being created. Says Sir Peter Scott, one of those founders and the man who sketched the first logo: “We wanted an animal that is beautiful, is endangered and one loved by many people in the world for its appealing qualities. We also wanted an animal that had an impact in black and white to save money on printing costs.”

First official poster of WWF from 1961 © WWF Intl. / WWF-Canon

2. Historically speaking, pandas are one of the few animals whose parts have not been used in traditional Chinese medicine.

1. Approximately 99 percent of a panda’s diet – bamboo leaves and shoots – is void of much nutritional value. Its carnivore-adapted digestive system cannot digest cellulose well, thus it lives a low-energy, sedentary lifestyle but persists in eating some 60 species of bamboo. Pandas must eat upwards of 30 pounds of bamboo daily just to stay full.

See pandas during a WWF tour to China.

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Posted in Wildlife | 38 Comments

38 Responses to “Ten interesting facts about giant pandas”

  1. on 10 Dec 2010 at 6:05 pm1blah blah

    thanks for those facts i have to do a school research on giant pandas!this was an amazing website for that.

  2. on 02 Jan 2011 at 8:08 pm2katelyn moatz

    i love this website i think it gives a lot of information for any subject that u r looking up

  3. on 07 Jan 2011 at 9:30 am3jadea

    why would u have #7 as a bear fact when the panda isn’t even a bear its more of a relation to the raccoon its no relation to the bear family at all.

  4. on 12 Jan 2011 at 6:37 pm4science geek!

    this is awesome! i had to do an endangered species project on Giant pandas and all i used was this site!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  5. on 18 Jan 2011 at 5:02 pm5Rebecca Bercawitz

    i <3 pandas and was gonna do it for my school report thanks wwf!!!!!

  6. on 24 Feb 2011 at 5:18 pm6melvin

    this is very nice i passed a A+ on this

  7. on 09 Mar 2011 at 5:16 pm7kingker

    thanks for this i’m doing project on pandas

  8. on 09 Mar 2011 at 6:03 pm8Shan

    Has WWF thought about selling repro prints of this panda poster? It’s graphically impeccable and I for one would be thrilled to buy one! if you do, make sure you advertise it EVERYWHERE! I have “arty” friends who love copies too :)

  9. on 27 Mar 2011 at 11:39 am9beach chick

    thanks sooo much! i’m doing a project on them RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!

  10. on 29 Mar 2011 at 5:24 pm10someonee

    thanks!!!!!!!! helped me a lot with my projct a schhool (:

  11. on 23 May 2011 at 6:33 am11Person in Korea

    Thanks alot!!! It really helped my special MAMMAL poster!!!
    I like you!! ^o^ !!!

  12. on 23 May 2011 at 8:15 pm12☼Brenda☼

    THANX A LOT. THIS WEBSITE GAVE ME A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT I DIDN’T KNOW. I HOPE THIS WILL HELP ME PASS MY SPEECH, OR AT LEAST GET A GOOD GRADE.

  13. on 23 May 2011 at 11:28 pm13Mark

    thanks a lot, I am working on the project right now

  14. on 07 Jun 2011 at 9:06 am14GLEN!!!

    Hey you’ve really helped me and my mates with our school project

  15. on 18 Jul 2011 at 3:37 pm15GIRL :)

    u guys rock luv this site helped me alot TY!!!!!!!

  16. on 03 Sep 2011 at 11:10 pm16sativa

    i love pandas ! thankyou guys i needed some facts for my assignment but i some in my own words

  17. on 29 Sep 2011 at 7:42 am17lacey farley

    this was great. so many pandas. i hope we find out more.

  18. on 06 Oct 2011 at 1:51 pm18Rose

    THANK YOU very much for the facts about panda’s,
    I am working on a 5 page project for my writing class,
    And this website helped,
    Again thanks WFF!!!!

  19. on 06 Oct 2011 at 4:25 pm19Kiera

    I am doing a project on pandas and my best facts came from here. Thanks:)

  20. on 11 Oct 2011 at 5:52 pm20aislinn

    PEOPLE CANT YOU SEE WHATS HAPPENING TO ARE WILD LIFE LOOK AROUND AT THE WORLD HELP SAVE THEM!THEY NEED IT!

  21. on 11 Oct 2011 at 5:54 pm21aislynn

    WE KNOW HOW TO SAVE OUR WILDLIFE, NOW OTHER PEOPLE SHOULD HELP TO. PLEASE HELP US SAVE OUR ANIMALS! THEY NEED IT!

  22. on 11 Oct 2011 at 6:49 pm22loubell

    thanks this help me a lot

  23. on 16 Oct 2011 at 9:16 pm23navpreet

    thanks for the informationi i needed it for amy science project

  24. on 27 Oct 2011 at 9:19 am24dance911

    HI :) Love this

  25. on 05 Nov 2011 at 2:49 pm25amy :]

    thanx soo much im doing my project right now on this site :]] <3

  26. on 05 Nov 2011 at 2:53 pm26amy :]

    thanxx wwf im in 7th grade and im doing my school project right noww on this site haha THANXX and btw i <3 pandass!! <3 :]]

  27. on 13 Nov 2011 at 5:55 pm27paramore gurl21

    this place helped so muck cuz i have to do a project for science on 4 different animals!! :)

  28. on 21 Nov 2011 at 6:27 am28ily chick

    my teacher will thank u soo much of your fab website i make a shout out to my school darlington p.s and to my class heyy Mrs dollmans class :)

  29. on 03 Dec 2011 at 12:32 pm29Smexy Gal26

    thx a ton wwf i had to make a brochure and these facts r perfect! :)

  30. on 03 Dec 2011 at 12:33 pm30iceymoon26

    awesome website!!!!

  31. on 18 Dec 2011 at 5:48 pm31Jamaine

    thax man dis is gonna help mi with me work.

  32. on 10 Jan 2012 at 9:52 am32the boss

    this is boss. helped with a project :P

  33. on 12 Jan 2012 at 3:30 pm33fisterr

    i am ganna get a A+ on this thankss!! :) Pandas <3

  34. on 12 Jan 2012 at 6:23 pm34Gracie

    Doing a panda speech this helped a little more thanks! :D

  35. on 20 Jan 2012 at 3:08 pm35madman

    thanks doin a project a t unity blackpool and helped loads goin get a well good grade

  36. on 23 Jan 2012 at 4:55 pm36AMS people

    Thanks for the facts. I’m doing an Endangered Animal Report on Giant Pandas. =)

  37. on 23 Jan 2012 at 4:55 pm37AMS people

    Thanks for the facts. =)

  38. on 29 Jan 2012 at 8:57 am38nicola

    this is really good website
    i am ten years old and i am doing my homework and i have to write a fact file about pandas.
    pandas are my favourite animals

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