Female giant pandas are in heat once a year for only two to three days each time , usually in March to May each year. A pregnancy lasts about 5 months.
In the wild, female giant pandas will emit special sounds such as baa, dog bark, or cow bark during their fertile period, while male giant pandas will leave scent markers as a sign to attract female giant pandas. Females often mate with several competing males, while a male will also seek out different females to mate.
After mating, male and female pandas live separately, and the work of den building and rearing young is completed by female pandas alone. A newborn panda cub weighs only grams 3. They are fur-less, pink, and blind.
Their iconic black and white color coat grows after about three weeks. Giant pandas do not hibernate because their bamboo-based diet prevents them from storing enough fat to sleep through the winter. P andas are not afraid of the cold. Giant pandas mark their territory by leaving their scent on tree bark through urine , rubbing scent glands, and other ways. The higher they are able to mark their scent on a tree the stronger they are is a general rule in the panda community.
There are Sichuan giant pandas and Qinling giant pandas. Qinling pandas make up only The soil, climate, and vegetation of Sichuan are very different from that of the Qinling Mountains, so the appearance, colors, and body shape of the giant pandas in the two places are different. The Sichuan giant panda's head is similar to that of a bear, while the Qinling giant panda's head is more cat-like, with a smaller skull and larger teeth.
The two pandas are of the same origin, but separated by a large river and mountains and further isolated by human activities. Paleontologists estimate that they broke off contact 50, years ago , and then began the process of independent reproduction and evolution.
Thanks to conservation efforts to save giant pandas, their population is now over 2, Their wild population has increased to 1,, and the number of captive-bred giant pandas has reached If you want to see China's lovely giant pandas, we can tailor-make a tour for you to see pandas according to your particular requirements. The impact of rapid population growth has seen the destruction of significant Giant Panda habitat.
In an effort to defend the Giant Panda, the Chinese government enforces a logging ban in the Giant Panda reserves. The 8. In the s, the Chinese government began conservation efforts to protect pandas. In the first panda reserve was established in southern China.
Pandas were classified as an endangered species in the s. Today there are 40 Giant Panda reserves in China. These reserves need to be connected via corridors in order to reduce isolation and fragmentation of the Giant Panda population. Villages and human activities now block open ranges for migration. The fragmentation of Giant Panda areas is a major problem affecting mating. Another problem related to the fragmentation of the Giant Panda areas is that the bamboo will flower and then die off about every 20 years.
When this occurs the Giant Pandas need to migrate to a new area. There have been reports of Giant Pandas starving when they are unable to find bamboo in new areas. The May 12th earthquake epicenter was just a few miles from the Wolong Panda Center. Aftershocks continued for days. In one 24 hour period aftershocks were monitored in the quake zone. There were approximately 70, deaths from the quake, 20, missing and , injured.
Five staff members of the Wolong Nature Reserve were killed. One Giant Panda, Mao Mao was killed by the collapse of the exterior wall in her enclosure. Wild Giant Pandas certainly died as a result of the earthquake but no estimates as to the number are available.
Several Giant Pandas came down from the mountains in search of food. One wild Giant Panda has starved due to the destruction of the bamboo.
The consequences of the devastation to the bamboo as a result of the earthquake will continue for many years. A study in by the Chinese Department of Forestry estimated the current population of the wild Giant Pandas at approximately 1, As of there are approximately giant pandas in captivity.
The U. While hunting and poaching have been reduced due to strict laws by the Chinese government, accidental capture of giant pandas in traps set for other animals still possess a serious problem.
The future of the giant panda is interwoven with the Chinese people. New advances in environmentally responsible farming, high yield crops to reduce logging, and population control efforts will all help the giant pandas. The Chinese Government also has several projects for reforesting hillsides, protecting grasslands and nature reserves for the giant pandas.
There are also plans to pay farmers to turn cropland back to forests and to establish commercial tree farms to replace logging. Bamboo planting, in Sichuan Province, for the captive and wild pandas is an ongoing project. Let us take this opportunity to say, on one hand, this is cause for celebration. It shows that with your support, progress is being made in panda conservation. The captive population is currently stable, as the number in captivity well exceeds the number set forth in the Species Survival Plan.
That said….. The IUCN states that the vulnerable status is still at high risk of extinction in the wild. What does it mean for Panda Conservation? Our greatest fear is the public and our supporters will think the pandas are safe at the present time and become complacent and that is not the case.
If the government or the public gets lax in conservation efforts, the pandas could rapidly slide backwards. There may be many unintended consequences of this change including more human activity and trekking in their habitat.
A recent International Conference on Panda Conservation published conclusions which state the giant panda is still endangered. He expressed concerns about the severely fragmented natural habitat which still threatens the lives of pandas.
Concerns regarding the genetic status of the different populations that while improved, but is still not satisfactory. They are also born blind and only open their eyes six to eight weeks after birth.
Recent research, however, suggests that giant pandas occasionally meet outside of breeding season, and communicate with each other through scent marks and calls. Did you know that we have a FREE downloadable panda primary resource?
Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike! Family time! Pandas are often seen eating in a relaxed sitting posture, with their hind legs stretched out before them. They may appear sedentary, but they are skilled tree-climbers and efficient swimmers. Giant pandas are solitary.
They have a highly developed sense of smell that males use to avoid each other and to find females for mating in the spring. After a five-month pregnancy, females give birth to a cub or two, though they cannot care for both twins.
The blind infants weigh only 5 ounces at birth and cannot crawl until they reach three months of age. They are born white, and develop their much loved coloring later. Improved conservation efforts and better survey methods show an increase in the wild panda population. Hundreds more pandas live in breeding centers and zoos, where they are always among the most popular attractions.
Much of what we know about pandas comes from studying these zoo animals, because their wild cousins are so rare and elusive. All rights reserved. Giant Pandas A giant panda photographed at Zoo Atlanta in Georgia. Common Name: Giant Panda.
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