The Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a large Asian bear featured in the Standard Edition of Planet Zoo.
Zoopedia Description[]
General[]
Population in the Wild: 2,000
The giant panda (or Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a species of bear native to the mountains of Central China. They have black and white fur in a distinctive pattern, with black legs, ears and circles around their eyes. Pandas feed almost exclusively on bamboo and, as a result, are extremely dependent on rich bamboo forests to survive. This is a low energy food, so pandas must eat a lot of it to live and spend most of their waking hours foraging and eating. Their low energy intake also means they produce very tiny and vulnerable cubs.
The species is threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation due to deforestation and urbanisation; they are also poached for their fur. China has put a lot of effort into conserving the panda population, but it proves to be difficult due to the low fertility of pandas, their reluctance to mate, and the vulnerability of their young.
Social[]
Pandas are solitary creatures but will interact if they come across each other. However, females are more territorial than males and may chase away rivals who invade their territory. They need plenty of space and the ability to isolate themselves if they want to.
Reproduction[]
Panda females are only fertile for 2 to 3 days a year - with such a small window for pregnancy, it's unlikely that they will meet a male at the right time. If they do manage to mate with a male, the mother will be pregnant for between 95 and 160 days before giving birth to 1 or 2 very small cubs; if she has twins, she will not care for both because she will not have enough milk. Cubs will stay with their mothers until they are between 1.5 to 2 years old before leaving to establish their own territories.
Animal Care[]
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PREFERRED OBJECTS | |
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Bamboo · Small Fruits · Fruits and Vegetables | |
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FEEDING STATIONS | |
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FOOD ENRICHMENT |
HABITAT ENRICHMENT |
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COMPATIBLE ANIMALS |
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Giant Panda doesn't benefit from sharing space with other species. |
Trivia[]
Zoopedia Fun Facts[]
- Pandas have the smallest babies relative to adult body size of any placental mammal; cubs are 800x smaller than their mothers.
- Pandas have evolved a 6th finger that helps them strip leaves from bamboo.
- The giant panda is the only bear species that is entirely herbivorous. Unlike many other animals, pandas are not used in Chinese traditional medicine.
- There is a sub-population of giant pandas called 'Qinling pandas' that are chocolate brown and white
- Pandas are a symbol of peace in China; warring groups would hold up flags with panda images on them to call a truce.
Other Trivia[]
- While the game implies that Giant Pandas have an exclusive diet of plants, they're in real-life actually much more omnivorous.[1]
- It is more commonly referred to as the “Panda”.
Gallery[]
.jpg "Pandasss (2).jpg (263 KB)")
