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93-416: The giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ), also known as the panda bear or simply panda , is a bear species endemic to China . It is characterised by its white coat with black patches around the eyes, ears, legs and shoulders. Its body is rotund; adult individuals weigh 100 to 115 kg (220 to 254 lb) and are typically 1.2 to 1.9 m (3 ft 11 in to 6 ft 3 in) long. It

186-489: A WWF lawsuit , the United States Fish and Wildlife Service only allows US zoos to import a panda if the zoo can ensure China channels more than half of its loan fee into conservation efforts for giant pandas and their habitat. In May 2005, China offered a breeding pair to Taiwan . The issue became embroiled in cross-Strait relations – due to both the underlying symbolism and technical issues such as whether

279-499: A carnivoran , the giant panda's diet is primarily herbivorous , with approximately 99% of its diet consisting of bamboo. However, the giant panda still has the digestive system of a carnivore, as well as carnivore-specific genes, and thus derives little energy and little protein from the consumption of bamboo. The ability to break down cellulose and lignin is very weak, and their main source of nutrients comes from starch and hemicelluloses . The most important part of their bamboo diet

372-527: A biteforce of 1298.9 Newton (BFQ 151.4) at canine teeth and 1815.9 Newton (BFQ 141.8) at carnassial teeth. Adults measure around 1.2 to 1.9 m (3 ft 11 in to 6 ft 3 in) long, including a tail of about 10–15 cm (3.9–5.9 in), and 60 to 90 cm (24 to 35 in) tall at the shoulder . Males can weigh up to 160 kg (350 lb). Females are generally 10–20% smaller than males. They weigh between 70 kg (150 lb) and 125 kg (276 lb). The average weight for adults

465-724: A blatting sound; they achieve peaceful interactions through the emission of this sound. When in oestrus, a female emits a chirp. In hostile confrontations or during fights, the giant panda emits vocalizations such as a roar or growl. On the other hand, squeals typically indicate inferiority and submission in a dispute. Other vocalizations include honks and moans. Giant pandas heavily rely on olfactory communication to communicate with one another. Scent marks are used to spread these chemical cues and are placed on landmarks like rocks or trees. Chemical communication in giant pandas plays many roles in their social situations. Scent marks and odors are used to spread information about sexual status, whether

558-429: A day through its diet. To prevent poisoning, they have evolved anti-toxic mechanisms to protect themselves. About 80% of the cyanide is metabolized to less toxic thiocyanate and discharged in urine, while the remaining 20% is detoxified by other minor pathways. During the shoot season (April–August), pandas store a large amount of food in preparation for the months succeeding this seasonal period, in which pandas live off

651-465: A diet of bamboo leaves. The giant panda is a highly specialised animal with unique adaptations, and has lived in bamboo forests for millions of years. The average giant panda eats as much as 9 to 14 kg (20 to 31 lb) of bamboo shoots a day to compensate for the limited energy content of its diet. Ingestion of such a large quantity of material is possible and necessary because of the rapid passage of large amounts of indigestible plant material through

744-445: A disease caused by an obligate intracellular parasitic protozoan known as Toxoplasma gondii that infects most warm-blooded animals, including humans. They are likely susceptible to diseases from Baylisascaris schroederi , a parasitic nematode known to infect giant panda intestines. This nematode species is known to give pandas baylisascariasi , a deadly disease that kills more wild pandas than any other cause. Additionally,

837-609: A fee of up to US$ 1,000,000 per year and with the provision that any cubs born during the loan are the property of China. As a result of this change in policy, nearly all the pandas in the world are owned by China, and pandas leased to foreign zoos and all cubs are eventually returned to China. As of 2022, Xin Xin at the Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City, was the last living descendant of the gifted pandas. Since 1998, because of

930-423: A female is in estrus or not, age, gender, individuality, dominance over territory, and choice of settlement. Giant pandas communicate by excreting volatile compounds, or scent marks, through the anogenital gland. Giant pandas have unique positions in which they will scent mark. Males deposit scent marks or urine by lifting their hind leg, rubbing their backside, or standing in order to rub the anogenital gland onto

1023-435: A female when choosing a mate. For example, age can be useful for a female to determine sexual maturity and sperm quality. Pandas are also able to determine when the signal was placed, further aiding in the quest to find a potential mate. However, chemical cues are not just used for communication between males and females, pandas can determine individuality from chemical signals. This allows them to be able to differentiate between

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1116-449: A few Chinese provinces at elevations of up to 3,000 m (9,800 ft). It is solitary and gathers only in mating seasons. It relies on  olfactory communication  to communicate and uses scent marks  as chemical cues and on landmarks like rocks or trees. Females rear cubs for an average of 18 to 24 months. The oldest known giant panda was 38 years old. As a result of farming, deforestation and infrastructural development,

1209-420: A fight. Giant pandas reach sexual maturity between the ages of four and eight, and may be reproductive until age 20. The mating season is between March and May, when a female goes into estrus , which lasts for two or three days and only occurs once a year. When mating, the female is in a crouching, head-down position as the male mounts her from behind. Copulation time ranges from 30 seconds to five minutes, but

1302-443: A landmark. Females, however, exercise squatting or simply rubbing their genitals onto a landmark. The season plays a major role in mediating chemical communication. Depending on the season, mainly whether it is breeding season or not, may influence which odors are prioritized. Chemical signals can have different functions in different seasons. During the non-breeding season, females prefer the odors of other females because reproduction

1395-450: A mid-to-high density of livestock, as they depress the vegetation. The Tibetan Plateau is the only known area where both giant and red pandas can be found. Although sharing near-identical ecological niches, competition between the two species has rarely been observed. Nearly 50% of their respective distribution overlaps, and successful coexistence is achieved through distinct habitat selection. A captive female died from toxoplasmosis ,

1488-550: A potential partner or someone of the same sex, which could be a potential competitor. Chemical cues, or odors, play an important role in how a panda chooses their habitat. Pandas look for odors that tell them not only the identity of another panda, but if they should avoid them or not. Pandas tend to avoid their species for most of the year, breeding season being the brief time of major interaction. Chemical signaling allows for avoidance and competition . Pandas whose habitats are in similar locations will collectively leave scent marks in

1581-478: A species, the giant panda must have at least two different species available in its range to avoid starvation. While primarily herbivorous, the giant panda still retains decidedly ursine teeth and will eat meat, fish, and eggs when available. In captivity, zoos typically maintain the giant panda's bamboo diet, though some will provide specially formulated biscuits or other dietary supplements. Pandas will travel between different habitats if they need to, so they can get

1674-400: A unique location which is termed "scent stations". When pandas come across these scent stations, they are able to identify a specific panda and the scope of their habitat. This allows pandas to be able to pursue a potential mate or avoid a potential competitor. Pandas can assess an individual's dominance status, including their age and size, via odor cues and may choose to avoid a scent mark if

1767-447: Is sexually dimorphic , with males being typically 10 to 20% larger than females. A thumb is visible on its forepaw, which helps in holding bamboo in place for feeding. It has large molar teeth and expanded temporal fossa to meet its dietary requirements. It can digest starch and is mostly herbivorous with a diet consisting almost entirely of bamboo and bamboo shoots . The giant panda lives exclusively in six montane regions in

1860-403: Is 100 to 115 kg (220 to 254 lb). The giant panda's paw has a digit similar to a thumb and five fingers ; the thumb-like digit – actually a modified sesamoid bone – helps it to hold bamboo while eating. The giant panda's tail, measuring 10 to 15 cm (3.9 to 5.9 in), is the second-longest in the bear family, behind the sloth bear . Despite its taxonomic classification as

1953-555: Is a vulnerable species , threatened by continued habitat loss and fragmentation , and by a very low birthrate, both in the wild and in captivity . Its range is confined to a small portion on the western edge of its historical range, which stretched through southern and eastern China, northern Myanmar , and northern Vietnam . The species is scattered into more than 30 subpopulations of relatively few animals. Building of roads and human settlement near panda habitat, result in population declines. Diseases from domesticated pets and livestock

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2046-405: Is a sex hormone found in both males and females; testosterone is the major androgen produced by males. Civetone and decanoic acid are chemicals found in female urine which promote behavioral responses in males; both chemicals are considered giant panda pheromones. Male pandas also secrete chemical signals that include information about their sexual reproductivity and age, which is beneficial for

2139-454: Is another threat. By 2100, it is estimated that the distribution of giant pandas will shrink by up to 100%, mainly due to the effects of climate change . The giant panda is listed on CITES Appendix I , meaning trade of their parts is prohibited and that they require this protection to avoid extinction . They have been protected and placed in category 1, by the 1988 Wildlife Protection Act . Bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of

2232-533: Is from the Proto-Indo-European word *ǵʰwḗr- ~ *ǵʰwér "wild animal". This terminology for the animal originated as a taboo avoidance term: proto-Germanic tribes replaced their original word for bear— arkto —with this euphemistic expression out of fear that speaking the animal's true name might cause it to appear. According to author Ralph Keyes , this is the oldest known euphemism . Bear taxon names such as Arctoidea and Helarctos come from

2325-439: Is mainly attributed to the panda's avoidance of interspecific competition . The species has been located at elevations of 2,400 to 3,000 m (7,900 to 9,800 ft) above sea level. They frequent habitats with a healthy concentration of bamboos, typically old-growth forests , but may also venture into secondary forest habitats. The Daxiangling Mountain population inhabits both coniferous and broadleaf forests. Additionally,

2418-491: Is not their primary motivation. However, during breeding season, odors from the opposite sex will be more attractive. Because they are solitary mammals and their breeding season is so brief, female pandas secrete chemical cues in order to let males know their sexual status. The chemical cues female pandas secrete can be considered to be pheromones for sexual reproduction. Females deposit scent marks through their urine which induces an increase in androgen levels in males. Androgen

2511-427: Is similar to other subtropical mammals, and will instead move to elevations with warmer temperatures. Pandas rely primarily on spatial memory rather than visual memory . Though the panda is often assumed to be docile, it has been known to attack humans on rare occasions. Pandas have been known to cover themselves in horse manure to protect themselves against cold temperatures. The species communicates foremost through

2604-403: Is the result of powerful jaw muscles, which attach from the top of the head to the jaw. Large molars crush and grind fibrous plant material. The morphological characteristics of extinct relatives of the giant panda suggest that while the ancient giant panda was omnivorous 7 million years ago (mya), it only became herbivorous some 2–2.4 mya with the emergence of A. microta . Genome sequencing of

2697-577: Is the shoots, that are rich in starch and have up to 32% protein content. Accordingly, pandas have evolved a higher capability to digest starches than strict carnivores. Raw bamboo is toxic, containing cyanide compounds. Pandas' body tissues are less able than herbivores to detoxify cyanide, but their gut microbiomes are significantly enriched in putative genes coding for enzymes related to cyanide degradation, suggesting that they have cyanide-digesting gut microbes. It has been estimated that an adult panda absorbs 54.8–66.1 mg (0.846–1.020 gr) of cyanide

2790-565: The American black bear , a thriving bear species. In July 2009, Chinese scientists confirmed the birth of the first cub to be successfully conceived through artificial insemination using frozen sperm. The technique for freezing the sperm in liquid nitrogen was first developed in 1980 and the first birth was hailed as a solution to the dwindling availability of giant panda semen, which had led to inbreeding. Panda semen, which can be frozen for decades, could be shared between different zoos to save

2883-648: The Bering land bridge may have been possible during a major sea level low stand as early as the late Eocene (about 37 Mya) and continuing into the early Oligocene. European genera morphologically very similar to Allocyon , and to the much younger American Kolponomos (about 18 Mya), are known from the Oligocene, including Amphicticeps and Amphicynodon . There has been various morphological evidence linking amphicynodontines with pinnipeds , as both groups were semi-aquatic, otter-like mammals. In addition to

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2976-596: The Empress Dowager Bo was buried with a panda skull in her vault. The grandson of Emperor Taizong of Tang is said to have given Japan two pandas and a sheet of panda skin as a sign of goodwill. Unlike many other animals in Ancient China , pandas were rarely thought to have medical uses. The few known uses include the Sichuan tribal peoples' use of panda urine to melt accidentally swallowed needles, and

3069-646: The Isthmus of Panama . Their earliest fossil representative is Plionarctos in North America (c. 10–2 Ma). This genus is probably the direct ancestor to the North American short-faced bears (genus Arctodus ), the South American short-faced bears ( Arctotherium ), and the spectacled bears, Tremarctos , represented by both an extinct North American species ( T. floridanus ), and

3162-484: The Qinling Mountains and in the hilly province of Sichuan . Giant pandas are generally solitary. Each adult has a defined territory and a female is not tolerant of other females in her range. Social encounters occur primarily during the brief breeding season in which pandas in proximity to one another will gather. After mating, the male leaves the female alone to raise the cub. Pandas were thought to fall into

3255-708: The Western Han Dynasty in China, where the writer Sima Xiangru noted that the panda was the most treasured animal in the emperor's garden of exotic animals in the capital Chang'an (present Xi'an ). Not until the 1950s were pandas again recorded to have been exhibited in China's zoos. Chi Chi at the London Zoo became very popular. This influenced the World Wildlife Fund to use a panda as its symbol. A 2006 New York Times article outlined

3348-517: The crepuscular category, those who are active twice a day, at dawn and dusk; however, pandas may belong to a category all of their own, with activity peaks in the morning, afternoon and midnight. The low nutrition quality of bamboo means pandas need to eat more frequently, and due to their lack of major predators they can be active at any time of the day. Activity is highest in June and decreases in late summer to autumn with an increase from November through

3441-753: The family Ursidae ( / ˈ ɜːr s ɪ d iː , - d aɪ / ). They are classified as caniforms , or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout most of the Northern Hemisphere and partially in the Southern Hemisphere. Bears are found on the continents of North America , South America , and Eurasia . Common characteristics of modern bears include large bodies with stocky legs, long snouts, small rounded ears, shaggy hair, plantigrade paws with five nonretractile claws, and short tails. While

3534-533: The polar bear is mostly carnivorous , and the giant panda is mostly herbivorous , the remaining six species are omnivorous with varying diets. With the exception of courting individuals and mothers with their young, bears are typically solitary animals . They may be diurnal or nocturnal and have an excellent sense of smell . Despite their heavy build and awkward gait, they are adept runners, climbers, and swimmers. Bears use shelters, such as caves and logs, as their dens; most species occupy their dens during

3627-399: The spectacled bear ), and Ursinae (containing six species divided into one to three genera, depending on the authority). Nuclear chromosome analysis show that the karyotype of the six ursine bears is nearly identical, each having 74  chromosomes ( see Ursid hybrid ), whereas the giant panda has 42 chromosomes and the spectacled bear 52. These smaller numbers can be explained by

3720-550: The takin ( Budorcas taxicolor ). The takin and giant panda share a similar ecological niche , and they consume the same resources. When competition for food is fierce, pandas disperse to the outskirts of takin distribution. Other possible competitors include but is not limited to, the Eurasian wild pig ( Sus scrofa ), Chinese goral ( Naemorhedus griseus ) and the Asian black bear ( Ursus thibetanus ). Giant pandas avoid areas with

3813-512: The 1970s, gifts of giant pandas to American and Japanese zoos formed an important part of the diplomacy of the People's Republic of China (PRC), as it marked some of the first cultural exchanges between China and the West. This practice has been termed "panda diplomacy". By 1984, however, pandas were no longer given as gifts. Instead, China began to offer pandas to other nations only on 10-year loans for

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3906-470: The Asian bile bear market. The IUCN lists six bear species as vulnerable or endangered , and even least concern species, such as the brown bear , are at risk of extirpation in certain countries. The poaching and international trade of these most threatened populations are prohibited, but still ongoing. The English word "bear" comes from Old English bera and belongs to a family of names for

3999-533: The Chinese language has given the bear many different names, including mò ( 貘 , ancient Chinese name for giant panda), huāxióng ( 花熊 ; "spotted bear") and zhúxióng ( 竹熊 ; "bamboo bear"). The most popular names in China today are dàxióngmāo ( 大熊貓 ; lit.   ' giant bear cat ' ), or simply xióngmāo ( 熊貓 ; lit.   ' bear cat ' ). As with the word panda in English, xióngmāo ( 熊貓 )

4092-626: The Qinling population often selects evergreen broadleaf and conifer forests, while pandas in the Qionglai mountainous region exclusively select upland conifer forests. The remaining two populations, namely those occurring in the Liangshan and Xiaoxiangling mountains, predominantly occur in broadleaf evergreen and conifer forests. Giant pandas once roamed across Southeast Asia from Myanmar to northern Vietnam . Their range in China spanned much of

4185-427: The adapted wrist bone of the red panda , which is native to Nepal. In many older sources, the name "panda" or "common panda" refers to the red panda ( Ailurus fulgens ), which was described some 40 years earlier and over that period was the only animal known as a panda. The binomial name Ailuropoda melanoleuca means black and white (melanoleuca) cat-foot (ailuropoda). Since the earliest collection of Chinese writings,

4278-507: The ancient Greek ἄρκτος ( arktos ), meaning bear, as do the names " arctic " and " antarctic ", via the name of the constellation Ursa Major , the "Great Bear", prominent in the northern sky. Bear taxon names such as Ursidae and Ursus come from Latin Ursus/Ursa , he-bear/she-bear. The female first name " Ursula ", originally derived from a Christian saint 's name, means "little she-bear" (diminutive of Latin ursa ). In Switzerland,

4371-558: The basis of distinct cranial measurements, colour patterns, and population genetics . A detailed study of the giant panda's genetic history from 2012 confirms that the separation of the Qinling population occurred about 300,000 years ago, and reveals that the non-Qinling population further diverged into two groups, named the Minshan and the Qionglai - Daxiangling - Xiaoxiangling - Liangshan group respectively, about 2,800 years ago. Of

4464-760: The bear family with other carnivorans is shown in the following phylogenetic tree , which is based on the molecular phylogenetic analysis of six genes in Flynn (2005) with the musteloids updated following the multigene analysis of Law et al. (2018). Feliformia [REDACTED] Canidae [REDACTED] Ursidae [REDACTED] Pinnipedia [REDACTED] Mephitidae [REDACTED] Ailuridae [REDACTED] Procyonidae [REDACTED] Mustelidae [REDACTED] Note that although they are called "bears" in some languages, red pandas and raccoons and their close relatives are not bears, but rather musteloids . There are two phylogenetic hypotheses on

4557-468: The bear in Germanic languages , such as Swedish björn , also used as a first name. This form is conventionally said to be related to a Proto-Indo-European word for "brown", so that "bear" would mean "the brown one". However, Ringe notes that while this etymology is semantically plausible, a word meaning "brown" of this form cannot be found in Proto-Indo-European. He suggests instead that "bear"

4650-521: The brown bears (which includes the polar bear ). Modern brown bears evolved from U. minimus via Ursus etruscus , which itself is ancestral to the extinct Pleistocene cave bear . Species of Ursinae have migrated repeatedly into North America from Eurasia as early as 4 Mya during the early Pliocene. The polar bear is the most recently evolved species and descended from a population of brown bears that became isolated in northern latitudes by glaciation 400,000 years ago. The relationship of

4743-461: The correct name. Some linguists argue, in this construction, "bear" instead of "cat" is the base noun, making the name more grammatically and logically correct, which have led to the popular choice despite official writings. This name did not gain its popularity until 1988, when a private zoo in Tainan painted a sun bear black and white and created the Tainan fake panda incident . For many decades,

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4836-464: The country, mainly in Sichuan , and also in neighbouring Shaanxi and Gansu . Successful habitat preservation has seen a rise in panda numbers, though loss of habitat due to human activities remains its biggest threat. In areas with a high concentration of medium-to-large-sized mammals—such as domestic cattle , a species known to degrade the landscape—the giant panda population is generally low. This

4929-577: The country. It has often served as China's national symbol , appeared on Chinese Gold Panda coins since 1982 and as one of the five Fuwa mascots of the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing . The word panda was borrowed into English from French, but no conclusive explanation of the origin of the French word panda has been found. The closest candidate is the Nepali word ponya, possibly referring to

5022-428: The dietary switch was initiated prior to T1R1 loss-of-function. Pandas eat any of 25 bamboo species in the wild, with the most common including Fargesia dracocephala and Fargesia rufa . Only a few bamboo species are widespread at the high altitudes pandas now inhabit. Bamboo leaves contain the highest protein levels; stems have less. Because of the synchronous flowering, death, and regeneration of all bamboo within

5115-471: The early Pleistocene. By 3–4 Mya, the species Ursus minimus appears in the fossil record of Europe; apart from its size, it was nearly identical to today's Asian black bear . It is likely ancestral to all bears within Ursinae, perhaps aside from the sloth bear. Two lineages evolved from U. minimus : the black bears (including the sun bear , the Asian black bear, and the American black bear ); and

5208-569: The economics of keeping pandas, which costs five times more than keeping the next most expensive animal, an elephant. American zoos generally pay the Chinese government $ 1 million a year in fees, as part of a typical ten-year contract. San Diego's contract with China was to expire in 2008, but got a five-year extension at about half of the previous yearly cost. The last contract, with the Memphis Zoo in Memphis, Tennessee , ended in 2013. In

5301-417: The eight extant species in the bear family Ursidae, the giant panda's lineage branched off the earliest. Giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ) [REDACTED] Spectacled bear ( Tremarctos ornatus ) [REDACTED] Ursinae (black, brown, sloth, sun, and polar bears) [REDACTED] The giant panda is endemic to China . It is found in small, fragmented populations in six mountainous regions in

5394-966: The extinct bear dogs of the family Amphicyonidae . Below is the cladogram based on McKenna and Bell (1997) classification: † Amphicyonidae [REDACTED] † Amphicynodontidae [REDACTED] Pinnipedia [REDACTED] † Hemicyoninae † Agriotheriinae † Ursavinae Ailuropodinae [REDACTED] Tremarctinae [REDACTED] Ursinae [REDACTED] Giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ) [REDACTED] Spectacled bear ( Tremarctos ornatus ) [REDACTED] Sloth bear ( Melursus ursinus ) [REDACTED] Sun bear ( Helarctos malayanus ) [REDACTED] Asian black bear ( Ursus thibetanus ) [REDACTED] American black bear ( Ursus americanus ) [REDACTED] Polar bear ( Ursus maritimus ) [REDACTED] Brown bear ( Ursus arctos ) [REDACTED] Giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ) [REDACTED] Tainan fake panda incident This incident made popular

5487-403: The eye patches might facilitate them identifying one another. The giant panda's thick, woolly coat keeps it warm in the cool forests of its habitat. The panda's skull shape is typical of durophagous carnivorans. It has evolved from previous ancestors to exhibit larger molars with increased complexity and expanded temporal fossa. A study revealed that a 117.5 kg (259 lb) giant panda had

5580-500: The eyes. The rest of the animal's coat is white. The bear's distinctive coloration appears to serve as camouflage in both winter and summer environments as they do not hibernate . The white areas serve as camouflage in snow, while the black shoulders and legs conceal them in shade. Studies in the wild have found that when viewed from a distance, the panda displays disruptive coloration , while up close, they rely more on blending in . The black ears may be used to display aggression, while

5673-511: The following March. Activity is also directly related to the amount of sunlight during colder days. There is a significant interaction of solar radiation, such that solar radiation has a stronger positive effect on activity levels of panda bears. Pandas communicate through vocalisation and scent marking such as clawing trees or spraying urine . They are able to climb and take shelter in hollow trees or rock crevices, but do not establish permanent dens. For this reason, pandas do not hibernate , which

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5766-566: The fur and its mother's saliva . A month after birth, the colour pattern of the cub's fur is fully developed. Its fur is very soft and coarsens with age. The cub begins to crawl at 75 to 80 days; mothers play with their cubs by rolling and wrestling with them. The cubs can eat small quantities of bamboo after six months, though mother's milk remains the primary food source for most of the first year. Giant panda cubs weigh 45 kg (99 lb) at one year and live with their mothers until they are 18 months to two years old. The interval between births in

5859-571: The fusing of some chromosomes, and the banding patterns on these match those of the ursine species, but differ from those of procyonids, which supports the inclusion of these two species in Ursidae rather than in Procyonidae , where they had been placed by some earlier authorities. The earliest members of Ursidae belong to the extinct subfamily Amphicynodontinae, including Parictis (late Eocene to early middle Miocene , 38–18  Mya ) and

5952-458: The genus Ursavus during the early Oligocene (30–28 Mya); this genus proliferated into many species in Asia and is ancestral to all living bears. Species of Ursavus subsequently entered North America, together with Amphicynodon and Cephalogale , during the early Miocene (21–18 Mya). Members of the living lineages of bears diverged from Ursavus between 15 and 20 Mya, likely via

6045-501: The giant panda has been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived. The wild population has increased again to 1,864 individuals as of March 2015. Since 2016, it has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List . In July 2021, Chinese authorities also classified the giant panda as vulnerable. It is a conservation-reliant species . By 2007, the captive population comprised 239 giant pandas in China and another 27 outside

6138-451: The giant panda suggests that the dietary switch could have initiated from the loss of the sole umami taste receptor, encoded by the genes TAS1R1 and TAS1R3 (also known as T1R1 and T1R3), resulting from two frameshift mutations within the T1R1 exons. Umami taste corresponds to high levels of glutamate as found in meat and may have thus altered the food choice of the giant panda. Although

6231-574: The legendary fierce creature pixiu (貔貅) as referring to the giant panda is also common. During the reign of the Yongle Emperor (early 15th century), his relative from Kaifeng sent him a captured zouyu ( 騶虞 ), and another zouyu was sighted in Shandong . Zouyu is a legendary "righteous" animal, which, similarly to a qilin , only appears during the rule of a benevolent and sincere monarch. Pandas have been kept in zoos as early as

6324-659: The lone surviving representative of the Tremarctinae, the South American spectacled bear ( T. ornatus ). The subfamily Ursinae experienced a dramatic proliferation of taxa about 5.3–4.5 Mya, coincident with major environmental changes; the first members of the genus Ursus appeared around this time. The sloth bear is a modern survivor of one of the earliest lineages to diverge during this radiation event (5.3 Mya); it took on its peculiar morphology, related to its diet of termites and ants, no later than by

6417-418: The male first name "Urs" is especially popular, while the name of the canton and city of Bern is by legend derived from Bär , German for bear. The Germanic name Bernard (including Bernhardt and similar forms) means "bear-brave", "bear-hardy", or "bold bear". The Old English name Beowulf is a kenning , "bee-wolf", for bear, in turn meaning a brave warrior. The family Ursidae is one of nine families in

6510-423: The male may mount her repeatedly to ensure successful fertilisation. The gestation period is somewhere between 95 and 160 days - the variability is due to the fact that the fertilized egg may linger in the reproductive system for a while before implanting on the uterine wall. Giant pandas give birth to twins in about half of pregnancies. If twins are born, usually only one survives in the wild. The mother will select

6603-461: The nutrients that they need and to balance their diet for reproduction. Although adult giant pandas have few natural predators other than humans, young cubs are vulnerable to attacks by snow leopards , yellow-throated martens , eagles, feral dogs, and the Asian black bear . Sub-adults weighing up to 50 kg (110 lb) may be vulnerable to predation by leopards . Giant pandas are sympatric with other large mammals and bamboo feeders, such as

6696-454: The panda's most distinctive features, its large size and round face, are adaptations to its bamboo diet. Anthropologist Russell Ciochon observed: "[much] like the vegetarian gorilla, the low body surface area to body volume [of the giant panda] is indicative of a lower metabolic rate. This lower metabolic rate and a more sedentary lifestyle allows the giant panda to subsist on nutrient poor resources such as bamboo." The giant panda's round face

6789-402: The population is threatened by canine distemper virus (CDV) , canine parvovirus , rotavirus , canine adenovirus , and canine coronavirus . Bacteria, such as Clostridium welchii , Proteus mirabilis , Klebsiella pneumoniae , and Escherichia coli , may also be lethal. The giant panda is a terrestrial animal and primarily spends its life roaming and feeding in the bamboo forests of

6882-563: The precise taxonomic classification of the giant panda was under debate because it shares characteristics with both bears and raccoons . In 1985, molecular studies indicated that the giant panda is a true bear, part of the family Ursidae. These studies show it diverged about 19  million years ago from the common ancestor of the Ursidae ; it is the most basal member of this family and equidistant from all other extant bear species. Two subspecies of giant panda have been recognized on

6975-513: The pseudogenisation (conversion into a pseudogene ) of the umami taste receptor in Ailuropoda coincides with the dietary switch to herbivory, it is likely a result of, and not the reason for, the dietary change. The mutation time for the T1R1 gene in the giant panda is estimated to 4.2 mya while fossil evidence indicates bamboo consumption in the giant panda species at least 7 mya, signifying that although complete herbivory occurred around 2 mya,

7068-628: The relationships among extant and fossil bear species. One is all species of bears are classified in seven subfamilies as adopted here and related articles: Amphicynodontinae , Hemicyoninae , Ursavinae , Agriotheriinae , Ailuropodinae , Tremarctinae , and Ursinae . Below is a cladogram of the subfamilies of bears after McLellan and Reiner (1992) and Qiu et al. . (2014): † Amphicynodontinae [REDACTED] † Hemicyoninae † Ursavinae † Agriotheriinae Ailuropodinae [REDACTED] Tremarctinae [REDACTED] Ursinae [REDACTED] The second alternative phylogenetic hypothesis

7161-509: The short, straight digestive tract. It is also noted, however, that such rapid passage of digesta limits the potential of microbial digestion in the gastrointestinal tract, limiting alternative forms of digestion. Given this voluminous diet, the giant panda defecates up to 40 times a day. The limited energy input imposed on it by its diet has affected the panda's behavior. The giant panda tends to limit its social interactions and avoids steeply sloping terrain to limit its energy expenditures. Two of

7254-435: The signaler's competitive ability outweighs their own. A pandas' size can be conveyed through the height of the scent mark. Since larger animals can place higher scent marks, an elevated scent mark advertises a higher competitive ability. Age must also be taken into consideration when assessing a competitor's fighting ability. For example, a mature panda will be larger than a younger, immature panda and possess an advantage during

7347-540: The slightly younger Allocyon (early Oligocene , 34–30 Mya), both from North America. These animals looked very different from today's bears, being small and raccoon -like in overall appearance, with diets perhaps more similar to that of a badger . Parictis does not appear in Eurasia and Africa until the Miocene. It is unclear whether late-Eocene ursids were also present in Eurasia, although faunal exchange across

7440-422: The smallest baby of any placental mammal. It nurses from its mother's breast six to 14 times a day for up to 30 minutes at a time. For three to four hours, the mother may leave the den to feed, which leaves the cub defenseless. One to two weeks after birth, the cub's skin turns grey where its hair will eventually become black. Slight pink colour may appear on the cub's fur, as a result of a chemical reaction between

7533-461: The southeast region. By the Pleistocene , climate change affected panda populations, and the subsequent domination of modern humans led to large-scale habitat loss. In 2001, it was estimated that the range of the giant panda had declined by about 99% of its range in earlier millenniums. The giant panda has a body shape typical of bears. It has black fur on its ears, limbs, shoulders and around

7626-547: The species Ursavus elmensis . Based on genetic and morphological data, the Ailuropodinae (pandas) were the first to diverge from other living bears about 19 Mya, although no fossils of this group have been found before about 11 Mya. The New World short-faced bears (Tremarctinae) differentiated from Ursinae following a dispersal event into North America during the mid-Miocene (about 13 Mya). They invaded South America (≈2.5 or 1.2 Ma) following formation of

7719-567: The species. As of 2009, it is expected that zoos in destinations such as San Diego in the United States and Mexico City will be able to provide their own semen to inseminate more giant pandas. Attempts have also been made to reproduce giant pandas by interspecific pregnancy where cloned panda embryos were implanted into the uterus of an animal of another species. This has resulted in panda fetuses, but no live births. In Ancient China, people thought pandas to be rare and noble creatures –

7812-417: The stronger of the cubs, and the weaker cub will die due to starvation. The mother is thought to be unable to produce enough milk for two cubs since she does not store fat. The father has no part in helping raise the cub. When the cub is first born, it is pink, blind, and toothless, weighing only 90 to 130 g (3.2 to 4.6 oz), or about ⁠ 1 / 800 ⁠ of the mother's weight, proportionally

7905-434: The suborder Caniformia , or "doglike" carnivorans, within the order Carnivora . Bears' closest living relatives are the pinnipeds , canids , and musteloids (some scholars formerly argued that bears are directly derived from canids and should not be classified as a separate family). Modern bears comprise eight species in three subfamilies: Ailuropodinae (monotypic with the giant panda ), Tremarctinae (monotypic with

7998-509: The support of the pinniped–amphicynodontine clade, other morphological and some molecular evidence supports bears being the closest living relatives to pinnipeds. The raccoon-sized, dog-like Cephalogale is the oldest-known member of the subfamily Hemicyoninae , which first appeared during the middle Oligocene in Eurasia about 30 Mya. The subfamily includes the younger genera Phoberocyon (20–15 Mya), and Plithocyon (15–7 Mya). A Cephalogale -like species gave rise to

8091-439: The transfer would be considered "domestic" or "international" or whether any true conservation purpose would be served by the exchange. A contest in 2006 to name the pandas was held in the mainland, resulting in the politically charged names Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan (from simplified Chinese : 团圆 ; traditional Chinese : 團圓 ; pinyin : tuanyuan ; lit. 'reunion', implying reunification ). China's offer

8184-481: The use of panda pelts to control menstruation as described in the Qin dynasty encyclopedia Erya . The creature named mo (貘) mentioned in some ancient books has been interpreted as giant panda. The dictionary Shuowen Jiezi ( Eastern Han Dynasty ) says that the mo , from Shu (Sichuan), is bear-like, but yellow-and-black, although the older Erya describes mo simply as a "white leopard". The interpretation of

8277-540: The wild is generally two years. Initially, the primary method of breeding giant pandas in captivity was by artificial insemination , as they seemed to lose their interest in mating once they were captured. This led some scientists to trying methods such as showing them videos of giant pandas mating and giving the males sildenafil (commonly known as Viagra). In the 2000s, researchers started having success with captive breeding programs, and they have now determined giant pandas have comparable breeding to some populations of

8370-527: The winter for a long period of hibernation , up to 100 days. Bears have been hunted since prehistoric times for their meat and fur; they have also been used for bear-baiting and other forms of entertainment, such as being made to dance . With their powerful physical presence, they play a prominent role in the arts , mythology , and other cultural aspects of various human societies. In modern times, bears have come under pressure through encroachment on their habitats and illegal trade in bear parts, including

8463-496: Was implemented by McKenna et al. (1997) to classify all the bear species into the superfamily Ursoidea , with Hemicyoninae and Agriotheriinae being classified in the family "Hemicyonidae". Amphicynodontinae under this classification were classified as stem- pinnipeds in the superfamily Phocoidea . In the McKenna and Bell classification both bears and pinnipeds are in a parvorder of carnivoran mammals known as Ursida , along with

8556-780: Was initially rejected by Chen Shui-bian , then President of Taiwan. However, when Ma Ying-jeou assumed the presidency in 2008, the offer was accepted and the pandas arrived in December of that year. In the 2020s, certain "celebrity pandas" have gained a cult following amongst internet users, with dedicated fan accounts existing to keep tabs on the animals. Known as "giant panda fever" or "panda-monium", individual pandas are known to get billions of views and engagements on social media, as well as product lines specifically emulating them. At Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding , certain of these "celebrity pandas" are known to garner hours-long lines specifically to see them. The giant panda

8649-463: Was originally used to describe just the red panda, but dàxióngmāo ( 大熊貓 ) and xiǎoxióngmāo ( 小熊猫 ; lit.   ' little bear cat ' ) were coined to differentiate between the species. In Taiwan , another popular name for panda is the inverted dàmāoxióng ( 大貓熊 ; lit.   ' giant cat bear ' ), though many encyclopedias and dictionaries in Taiwan still use the "bear cat" form as

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