The following facts have been produced by reading SandiegoZoo‘s Panda Site. This site is well worth visiting as it has lots to look at, including a PandaCam!!!!
Pandas are bears, although very different to other types and are classified quite differently by biologiests.
Pandas use chemical scents (smells) to communicate and have the equivalent of noticeboards where they go to “read” messages from each other.
Pandas are quite solitary animals and seem to dislike too much company. A female will climb a tree to avoid a male if she is not interested in him.
There are “about 1000” Pandas left in the World, but no one knows the exact number. There are about 110 Pandas in captivity.
Pandas eat bamboo and each patch of bamboo will only have a few Pandas within it.
Nobody knows why Pandas are black and white – its probably not camouflage as they have no natural predetors but it may be to help them spot one another or their large patch-like eyes may be to ward off other animals by appearing to have larger, more frightening eyes than they have really.
These facts have been gleaned from reading ChinaUnique. This site has some lovely stuff – check out Panda fun and the panda dance. I just giggled!!!!!
The two kinds of Panda are the black and white, or Great Panda and the Red Panda, sometimes known as the Lesser Panda.
In ancient China, Pandas were believed to ward off evil spirits.
There are 15 types of Bamboo but Pandas prefer the shoots.
Pandas do not hibernate because their diet does not allow them to build up fat stores.
The Chinese use the word “Xiongmao” for Panda which means Giant Cat Bear.
The Red Panda lives in China and also in Tibet, Burma, India and Nepal. It is more like a Racoon, spends time living in trees and eats acorns and roots as well as Bamboo.
A couple of panda pictures to colour in or maybe print out on very thin paper so that you can stick them on your window and see the sun shine a panda in at you! This week we are going to make a little panda habitat – i’ll do instructions with pictures when we have played!