PANDAS

HABITAT:Giant pandas live in forests with a dense understory of bamboo, at elevations between 5,000 and 10,000 feet. Torrential rains or dense mist throughout the year characterizes these forests, often shrouded in heavy clouds.

LIFESTYLE:

A wild panda spends much of its day resting, feeding, and seeking food. Unlike other bears f, giant pandas do not hibernate. Until recently, scientists thought that, giant pandas spent most of their lives alone, with males and females meeting only during the breeding season. Recent studies paint a whole new different picture, in which small groups of pandas share a large territory and sometimes meet outside the normal breeding season. Much remains to be learned about the secret lives of these mysterious animals, and every new discovery helps scientists in their battle to save this wonderful species.

LIFE SPAN:

Scientists aren't sure how long giant pandas live in the wild, but they are sure it's shorter than lifespans in zoos. Chinese scientists have reported zoo pandas as old as 35. The National Zoo's Hsing-Hsing died at age 28 in 1999.