15 fascinating facts about giant pandas

Let’s take a closer look at giant pandas and the crucial role they play in their ecosystem.

15 interesting giant panda facts you might not know

By understanding more about these beloved animals, we can better appreciate the need for conservation efforts to protect them and other vulnerable wildlife species.

1.  Giant pandas have unique camouflage

You might think that a giant panda’s iconic black-and-white colouring would make it stand out, but their monochromatic fur actually helps them blend into their surroundings.

Though up close, pandas don’t match the colours of their forested habitats, from a distance of about 50 metres, it's hard for predators to make out their shape among the trees.

Because they live in snowy areas in the winter and hot climates in the summer, their black-and-white pattern is something of an evolutionary compromise. The light fur is good for blending into snowy environments, while their dark eyes, limbs, and ears help them blend into shadows when it’s sunny.

2.  Are pandas bears?

Scientifically speaking, pandas are bears—but that wasn’t an easy conclusion to reach. For many years, researchers weren't exactly sure how to classify giant pandas. Unlike other bear species, pandas aren’t omnivorous, eating only plants like bamboo. So, for years, scientists classified giant pandas as being closely related to raccoons and red pandas.

Then, in the 1990s, extensive molecular research on the species revealed that giant pandas and bears (the family Ursidae) have a close genetic relationship.

The two main unique features of pandas compared to other bears are their diet and the presence of a thumb-like appendage, which helps them grip stalks of bamboo.

3.  Giant pandas’ eyes are similar to cats’ eyes

Despite them both being cute and furry, you’d assume there are not many similarities shared by cats and giant pandas. But they have very similar eyes. Just like members of the cat family, pandas have vertical slits for pupils.

In fact, the name for pandas in China, daxiaongmao, translates to ‘giant cat bear’.

These eyes give pandas excellent night vision, which helps when they are foraging for food in low light.

4. How pandas got their name

The scientific name for giant pandas, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, translates to ‘black and white cat-foot’.

The common name ‘giant panda’ initially came about because scientific observers noticed it had a similar diet and paw structure to the red panda, which had been discovered 50 years prior. Due to these similarities, it was assumed the two animals belonged to the same family.

Though genetic testing later found that the two species were unrelated, the names remained.

They’re also good swimmers and can use streams and other bodies of water to escape predators when they’re feeling threatened. They don’t tend to dive underwater but do enjoy splashing about in cool water as the winter snow melts.

6.  Giant pandas mainly eat just one thing

Most bears have a varied diet and are omnivores. They feast on nuts and seeds, leaves and flowers, insects and small mammals, and yes, honey. Polar bears are the most carnivorous type of bear, primarily eating fish and seals.

But giant pandas are a unique species. About three million years ago, the species evolved to exist solely on plants—and one plant in particular: bamboo.

The giant panda’s diet is 99% bamboo shoots and leaves. On the rare occasion they aren’t chomping on bamboo they’ll turn to other readily available vegetation like pumpkin, kidney beans, and wheat. They have also been known to eat insects and small mammals, though it’s rare.

7.  Pandas have genetic adaptations to help them eat bamboo

As the only bear species that subsists almost solely on bamboo, giant pandas have developed certain genetic adaptations to help them forage and eat these plants.

The wrist bone of a giant panda has a unique thumb-like extension, which is often referred to as a ‘pseudo-thumb’. It acts as a sixth appendage, helping them grasp onto bamboo stalks and break them up as needed before eating.

They’ve also developed a strong jaw bone and teeth that are suitable for chewing bamboo. Their large molars can crush and grind with ease, allowing them to process the tough, fibrous plant material efficiently.

Giant pandas also have a much stronger bitter taste perception than other bears, which developed as they switched to a plant-based diet. This makes it easier for them to detect potentially harmful toxins like cyanide, nicotine, and ricin, which have a distinctive bitter taste.

8.  Pandas spend at least half the day eating

Giant pandas spend up to 16 hours a day eating bamboo, which they uproot from the ground with their dexterous paws.

Pandas’ digestive systems haven’t evolved to suit their herbivorous lifestyle, and closely resemble that of a meat-eating bear. Though they only feast on bamboo, this plant isn’t a nutrient-rich food source for them, meaning they need to eat a lot of it to fill up. Giant pandas can eat up to 12 kilograms (26.4 pounds) of bamboo per day.

9.  When they’re not eating, they’re usually sleeping

Pandas have two main hobbies: eating and sleeping.

Unlike humans, pandas don’t sleep for long stretches but instead take a series of naps over 24 hours, usually lasting two to four hours.

In one 24-hour day, giant pandas spend about 12 to 16 hours a day eating and the remaining 8 to 12 hours asleep.

In the hot summer months, their daytime naps can last even longer. Pandas tend to sleep either sprawled on their backs or curled up on their side.

10.  Pandas poop throughout the day

Giant pandas poop around 100 times each day.

Because their stomachs haven’t evolved to process the huge amounts of bamboo they’re eating every day, pandas need to poop a lot. All day long. Even when they’re sleeping.

They’re only able to digest about 17% of the bamboo they’re eating, which means the vast majority of it comes out as waste. Because they continue to defecate while sleeping, researchers can estimate the length of time a panda has been asleep based on the amount of poop near them.

Unlike meat-eating bears that can extract about 60% to 90% of the energy from the food they eat, pandas get less than 20% of the potential caloric power of bamboo. As a result, it’s simply impossible for them to eat enough food to get through the winter months in a hibernation state. Bamboo simply does not provide enough energy or supply enough nutrients to sustain a panda for a long period of not eating.

Instead, when temperatures drop in the winter, pandas head down to lower elevations where they can shelter from the elements and avoid the coldest part of the forest.

12.  Giant pandas are important symbols

Giant pandas have become important symbols in their native country of China. Now considered an unofficial national symbol, pandas have been a part of Chinese culture and folklore for centuries. They appear in ancient art, literature, and mythology, often symbolising strength and bravery. Pandas are seen as gentle and peaceful, embodying traditional Chinese values.

Panda diplomacy is the act of China giving pandas as a gift to other countries to symbolise goodwill and strengthen diplomatic relationships. This dates all the way back to the Tang Dynasty, over 1,000 years ago, when Empress Wu Zeitan sent a pair of pandas to Japan.

In recent years, the practice has shifted from ‘gifting’ pandas to loaning captive-bred pandas to foreign zoos, with the aim to raise awareness and funds for ongoing panda conservation.

13.  Giant pandas are considered ‘living fossils’

Giant pandas are special. They’re one of just a handful of species that are known as ‘living fossils’, as they haven’t evolved very much in their millions of years of life on Earth.

Really, the biggest change the species has gone through in three million years is that they’ve gotten bigger. The earliest pandas were just one metre (three feet) long—today they can be up to 1.9 metres (six feet).

The discovery of fossils from long-dead giant pandas in the 2000s revealed that other than their size, ancient pandas’ bones, teeth, and skulls look pretty much the same today.

14.  Giant pandas are no longer endangered in the wild

Giant pandas are no longer classified as endangered, thanks to extensive conservation efforts.

In 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reclassified the species from endangered to vulnerable, reflecting the success of years of habitat restoration, anti-poaching laws, and breeding programmes from conservationists.

China’s government played a crucial role in this status shift, establishing over 60 panda reserves.

Additionally, reforestation projects have expanded bamboo forests, providing more food sources for pandas. Panda diplomacy is also said to contribute to conservation awareness, research, and funding.

Today, there are an estimated 500 to 1,000 mature pandas living in the wild, with a few hundred also living in captivity. The giant panda’s recovery is often used as a symbol of the positive outcome of global wildlife conservation.

While panda populations are slowly increasing, the species isn’t totally out of the woods just yet. Continued efforts are essential to ensure their long-term survival, particularly as climate change impacts their habitat.

15.  Giant pandas are important to their environments

As a keystone species, the giant panda plays a crucial role in its ecosystem. Their presence helps maintain the health of bamboo forests, which provide habitat for many other species—yet another reason why conservation of the species is so important.

As pandas roam around their environment, seeds from plants and trees collect in their fur and then are deposited elsewhere. This contributes to the spread and growth of vegetation, which can enhance the overall health of the forest ecosystem.

Their constant consumption of bamboo—a very fast-growing plant—is also important. Their feeding habits help maintain the natural growth cycle of bamboo forests. Without pandas, the forests would become overgrown and inhospitable to other species.

Plus, panda faeces act as a natural fertiliser, enriching the soil with nutrients and supporting plant growth.

Protecting endangered and vulnerable wildlife like giant pandas is crucial for maintaining the health and balance of our ecosystems. Every species plays a vital role in its environment.

Join the effort by supporting IFAW in our quest to help animals and people thrive together. The giant panda’s recovery as a species proves that together, we can make a difference.