Giant Pandas are very shy and peaceful animals. These cute and cuddly bears are only found in China and until 2021 were on the endangered list. Now, they are no longer endangered but are still at risk. Only 1800 pandas live in the wild. 

Pandas need bamboo, so this means that they can only live in a few places. 

Giant pandas are members of the bear family. They are not dangerous, but are still very strong, with powerful jaws, teeth and long claws. They avoid conflict but will fight if they need to. They are not hunted by other animals, but predators such as snow leopards or martens, may kill the cubs.

conflict - fighting

predators - animals that hunt and eat other animals

Giant pandas live for about 20 years. They are 4-5 feet long (1.2-1.5m) and weigh 200-300 pounds (90-136kg).

They are bear-shaped, with big paws and long claws. They have thick fur to keep them warm in the cool mountains. 

Watch a panda eat bamboo. Doesn't it look a bit like a person? This is because they have a special bone in their wrist which acts as a thumb so they can hold onto the bamboo.  They also have very strong jaws to help crush the bamboo. Their bite is as strong as a lion's!

Of course, everyone knows a panda best by their black and white fur. The ears, legs, shoulders and eye patches are black. The rest of the body is white.

Pandas look fat but they are very strong. They can climb very high and can swim well too. And believe it or not, they can run quite fast! They are faster than most people.

Giant pandas are omnivores. This means that they can eat both plants and animals. However, 99% of the time, pandas eat bamboo. They need to eat a lot of food, so they may spend up to 12 hours a day eating! Bamboo is not very nutritious so they must eat fast in order to eat the amount they need. The shape of their teeth helps them crush the bamboo shoots, stems and leaves. 

Rarely, pandas may eat fish, other plants or even small animals.

omnivores: animals that eat plants and meat

nutritious: healthy

Panda babies are called cubs. They are very small when they are born - only 4-8 oz (100-225g). That's about the same as a cup of water! They are pink and hairless and are born with their eyes closed. They open their eyes about 8 weeks of age.

Panda mums have 1-2 babies at a time but will only take care of the strongest cub. Panda mums don't have enough milk or energy to care for two cubs so one of the cub dies.

The other cub is well looked after. The cub will walk at about 3 months and at 6 months, will eat bamboo and play. Cubs stay with their mother for up to 3 years.