Today is National Panda Day!
National Panda Day is a day to celebrate the panda! Pandas are a species of bear that are native to China. In fact, they are considered a national symbol of the country, much like the bald eagle here in the United States.
Pandas in the wild predominantly eat bamboo, but they have also been known to eat other grasses and even birds and rodents. Raw bamboo is toxic to humans thanks to containing cyanide compounds (hence why bamboo is boiled for human consumption), but pandas can eat it thanks to their stomachs having cyanide-digesting gut microbes.
Pandas are mostly known for having black and white fur, but the Qinling panda has brown and white fur.
As adults, outside of humans, pandas don't really have any natural predators. But their young can be vulnerable to snow leopards, Asian black bears, eagles, and yellow-throated martens.
Pandas are terrestrial, meaning they live entirely on land. Adult pandas are solitary critters, with female pandas not liking others in their ranges. Wild pandas have been known to attack humans, but they generally are considered docile.
Pandas have been threatened by habitat loss and deforestation, but conservation efforts over the years have shown a rise in the number of wild pandas. They are still vulnerable, but things are improving.
Yeah, pandas are a wonderous example of nature. Give them a thought today! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!
No comments:
Post a Comment