The giant panda, also known as the cat bear and bamboo bear, is a mammal belonging to the order Carnivora, Ursidae, subfamily Giant Panda, and the genus Giant Panda. It has a fat bear-like body, a round head and a short tail, black and white fur, round cheeks, big "dark circles", a signature pigeon-toed walking style, and scalpel-like sharp claws. It is an endemic species in China, mainly distributed in the mountainous areas of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu, and feeds on bamboo as its staple food. It is known as a "living fossil" and "China's national treasure". It is also the image ambassador of the World Wildlife Fund and a flagship species for the world's biodiversity conservation. Its cute appearance and naive character are deeply loved and paid attention to by people. This article will introduce the charm of giant pandas from the following aspects:

The evolutionary history of the giant panda

Giant pandas have a long history. The fossils of the oldest member of the giant panda discovered so far, EoPanda, were unearthed in Lufeng and Yuanmou, Yunnan, China, with a geological age of about 8 million years ago in the late Miocene. In the long-term and severe competition for survival and natural selection, many animals of their generation have become extinct. However, the giant panda is a strong one and has an advantage. It has survived to this day and has become a "living fossil."

The ancestor of the giant panda is Ailuaractos lufengensis, which is the earliest carnivorous bear that evolved from ursids. The main branch of the primitive panda continues to evolve in central and southern China. One of them appeared in the early Pleistocene about 3 million years ago. It is smaller than the modern giant panda. It is inferred from its teeth that it has evolved to eat both bamboo and bamboo. Omnivore. Since then, this main branch has expanded to the subtropics and is widely distributed in North China, Northwest China, East China, Southwest China, South China, and even Vietnam and northern Myanmar. Fossils have been found. During this process, giant pandas adapted to life in subtropical bamboo forests, and gradually increased in size and relied on bamboo for survival. The middle and late Pleistocene, 500,000 to 700,000 years ago, was the heyday of giant pandas.

Giant panda’s habits and feeding habits

Giant pandas are good at climbing trees and also love to play. The behavior of climbing trees is generally a way for the weak to avoid the strong when the marriage proposal is approaching, or to escape danger, or when they meet each other. Giant pandas spend half of their time eating every day, and most of the remaining half of their time is spent sleeping. In the wild, giant pandas sleep for 2-4 hours between meals. 99% of the food of giant pandas is bamboo. There are more than 60 species of bamboo plants in 12 genera that can be eaten by giant pandas. Giant pandas eat 12-38 kilograms of bamboo every day, which is equivalent to 15%-40% of their body weight. Due to the low nutritional value of bamboo, giant pandas must eat a lot to meet their physiological needs. Giant pandas have a special digestive system that can break down the cellulose in bamboo, but they also excrete large amounts of feces. In addition to bamboo, giant pandas also occasionally eat some other plants, such as grass, flowers, fruits, matsutake mushrooms, etc., as well as some small animals, such as rodents, birds, bird eggs, etc.

Reproduction and Protection of Giant Pandas

Giant pandas are solitary animals that only look for companions during the mating season. The mating season of giant pandas is generally in spring, ranging from February to May, and males will attract females through scent marking and calls. Females only have a few days to ovulate; if they miss it, they have to wait until the next year. The pregnancy period of giant pandas is also very uncertain, ranging from 3 months to 6 months. This is because giant pandas have delayed embryo implantation. Giant pandas can usually only raise one cub at a time. The cub is very weak when born, weighing only 100-200 grams, equivalent to 1/900 of the mother's weight. The cubs are completely dependent on the mother's milk for 6 months after birth, start eating bamboo at 6-9 months, are weaned around 18 months, and leave their mothers around 2 years old. The life span of giant pandas in the wild is 18-20 years, and they can exceed 30 years in captivity.

Giant pandas are one of the most precious and endangered species in the world and have received widespread attention and protection from the international community. Giant pandas face many threats, mainly habitat loss and fragmentation, leading to population reductions and blocked genetic exchange. In addition, human activities, natural disasters, poaching, infectious diseases, etc. have also had adverse impacts on giant pandas. In order to protect giant pandas, the Chinese government and international organizations have taken a series of measures, including establishing nature reserves, carrying out artificial breeding, strengthening scientific research, carrying out international cooperation, and raising public awareness. After years of hard work, the protection of giant pandas has achieved remarkable results. According to the fourth national giant panda survey in 2014, the wild population of giant pandas in China is 1,864, with a habitat area of ​​2.23 million hectares, an increase of 16.8% and 11.8% respectively compared with 2003. In 2016, the World Conservation Union downgraded the giant panda's threat level from "endangered" to "vulnerable." In 2021, the State Council of China released the white paper "Biodiversity Conservation in China", announcing that the threat level of giant pandas would be reduced from "vulnerable" to "vulnerable".

The cultural significance of the giant panda

The giant panda is not only a Precious animals are also symbols of culture. It represents China's history, nation and spirit. It is the pride and confidence of the Chinese nation, and the inheritance and innovation of Chinese culture. It is also a bridge and link for friendly exchanges between China and foreign countries, and a messenger of world peace and development.

Giant pandas have a long history and rich legends in China. As early as the pre-Qin period, ancient books such as "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" and "The Book of Songs" have records about giant pandas, calling them white leopard, Pixiu, Zuoyu and other different names. It is said that Dayu was helped by giant pandas when he was controlling floods. Later, Dayu used the giant panda as a totem and established the Xia Dynasty. Du Fu, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, once wrote a poem called "White Pandas Walking on the Mountains" to praise the grace of giant pandas. Liu Songhui, a painter from the Song Dynasty, once painted "White Panda Picture", which is the earliest existing giant panda painting.

Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty once gave giant pandas as tribute to foreign envoys, which showed China's national strength and etiquette.

Giant pandas also have widespread influence and recognition in the world. In 1869, French missionary Armand Davide introduced giant pandas to the Western world for the first time, arousing curiosity and concern among Westerners. In 1936, American explorer Ruth Harkrit and her wife sent Su Lin, the first living giant panda, to the United States, triggering a "panda craze".

In 1957, the Chinese government began to donate or lease giant pandas to other countries as envoys of friendship, which enhanced friendship and cooperation between China and foreign countries. When the World Wildlife Fund was founded in 1961, the giant panda was used as its symbol, symbolizing the protection and respect for nature and wildlife. [16] In 2008, one of the mascots of the Beijing Olympics was the giant panda, which symbolizes harmony and friendship.

In short, the giant panda is an animal with infinite charm. It is not only China’s national treasure and a miracle of the world, but also a symbol and example of peaceful coexistence between humans and nature. We should cherish and protect this precious species so that it will always accompany us and bring us joy and hope.