Giant panda
species of mammal / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Panda" redirects here. For other uses, see Panda (disambiguation).
The giant panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, is a bear.[1][2] It lives in south central China.[3]
Quick Facts Conservation status, Scientific classification ...
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A giant panda at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. | |
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Genus: | Ailuropoda |
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Ailuropoda melanoleuca (David, 1869) | |
Giant panda range |
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Although it belongs to the order Carnivora, the panda's diet is almost 99% bamboo.[4] Pandas in the wild occasionally eat other grasses, wild tubers, or even meat in the form of birds, rodents or carrion. In captivity, they may get honey, eggs, fish, yams, shrub leaves, oranges, or bananas along with specially prepared food.[5][6]
The giant panda lives in a few mountain ranges in central China, mainly in Sichuan province, but also in the Shaanxi and Gansu provinces.[7] As a result of farming, deforestation and other development, the panda has been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived.