10 facts about Pandas!

1) Pandas ( also called 'Giant Pandas') are black and white and are located in thick bamboo forests, which are normally high up on the mountains of central China!

2) Pandas are omnivores. However, although they eat small animals, fish etc., 99% of their diet is from bamboo!

3) These magnificent creatures are HUGE eaters- every day they feel their stomachs, up to 12 hours, with 12 kg of bamboo!

4) The scientific name for Giant Pandas is Ailuropoda melanoleuca, which means 'black and white cat-foot.'

5) Baby pandas are born pink and are about 15cm long- that's roughly about the size of a pencil! Furthermore, they are born blind and they open their eyes when they're six to eight weeks after they're born!

6) Giant pandas grow to between 1.2m and 1.5m, and weigh between 75kg and 135kg. In captivity they live to be around 30 years old. However, scientists aren't sure how long they can live in the wild.

7) It's thought that pandas are solitary animals, with males and females only coming together briefly. Recent research shows that giant pandas occasionally meet outside of breeding season, and communicate with each other through scent marks and calls.

8) It's been shown that female pandas give birth to one or two cubs every two years, even though cubs stay with their mothers for 18 months before venturing off on their own!

9) While most bears hibernate, pandas don't. Instead they go lower down their mountain homes where the temperatures warmer temperatures and they continue to chomp away on bamboo!

10) It's estimated that only around 1,000 remain in the wild. Therefore, the Giant panda is an endangered species!