The cute giant panda is the rarest and most endangered species of bears. Its unique black and white markings, fluffy fur and odd gait have earned it countless fans around the world.

They are not as carnivorous and aggressive as other bears. They seem to lack interest in mating, and the survival ability of their cubs is also extremely weak. All of this makes people wonder why giant pandas have survived for millions of years.

At present, there are only about 2,000 giant pandas in the wild. It is difficult for such a population to have enough genetic diversity to ensure a competitive advantage.

Pictured: Giant panda cubs, which are smaller in proportion to their mothers than kangaroos

For example, if human construction blocks the activity areas of male and female giant pandas, or if females are disturbed in any way during their ovulation period, Then a whole year's worth of breeding opportunities are lost.

If two giant pandas mate successfully, the gestation period is 95 to 160 days, and although they sometimes give birth to two cubs, usually only one will survive.

The cubs need to live with their mother for two to three years. Under the best circumstances, a wild female giant panda can only successfully raise up to 8 cubs in her lifetime.

Eat bamboo even though it is obviously not suitable for vegetarian diet

Like other bears, omnivores or carnivores, giant pandas also have a short digestive system, which makes them unsuitable for consuming fiber. Rich, nutrient-poor bamboo.

In order to obtain sufficient nutrition, giant pandas must eat a quarter of their body weight in bamboo every day. What is even more tragic is that they like to eat bamboo shoots with less nutrients.

The lifestyle of giant pandas is what many people dream of. A giant panda spends 16 hours a day looking for and eating. Basically, their day consists of eating and sleeping.

No matter how you look at it, it seems that it is really difficult for giant pandas to survive in the wild. Some people even think that they are an evolutionary mistake. However, before they were "accomplished" by humans, they did rely on their own abilities to survive. Have lived for millions of years.

The great thing about giant pandas: laziness

Existence is reasonable. All creatures on the earth are trying their best to adapt to the living environment, and giant pandas are no exception.

When giant pandas split from the bear lineage about 8 million years ago, delicious and nutritious meat might have been hard to come by, but bamboo was ubiquitous.

Nature gave the bears two choices at that time: work hard to get "good things" to eat, or eat the inexhaustible bamboo. Obviously our giant panda chose the second option.

Eating bamboo may seem stupid, but it is the right choice for them, because it effectively reduces competitive pressure, and many of those who only eat "good things" have become extinct.

When giant pandas walk deep into the bamboo forest, they rarely encounter natural enemies, because predators generally do not appear in the bamboo forest; there are also few animals that snatch their food because bamboo is not nutritious. Good and many.

They made some physical adjustments, such as enlarging their chewing muscles, their bite force is said to be the fifth largest among mammals, and they slightly modified their digestive systems to adapt to their new food, bamboo.

In addition, the most remarkable thing about the giant panda’s ability to survive is that its metabolism has been reduced. The daily energy consumption of giant pandas is only 38% of that of other animals of similar size.

This is because a gene called DUOX2 in giant pandas has a mutation, which is involved in the synthesis of thyroid hormone, which controls metabolic processes including energy consumption.

Eating bamboo requires pandas to minimize energy consumption in all aspects of life, which limits their movement and mating period.

Conservation of energy also explains their small, helpless young, because giving birth to small, undeveloped young and breastfeeding them outside the body uses less energy than inside the body.

In short, the survival disadvantages of pandas we mentioned above are their survival advantages from an evolutionary perspective.

In addition, pandas are expert tree climbers. Their cubs can climb trees when they are 6 months old, can swim, and will not hibernate like other bears.

All of these, any adult giant panda can protect itself from predators, but it is us humans who put the giant panda in existential crisis.

Why are pandas on the verge of extinction?

I have been to the Panda Base in Chengdu. There are many records about pandas in the tourist reception area. In ancient times, pandas were indeed collected by humans and used for fighting.

It can be seen that the giant panda, which seems harmless to humans and animals, is actually not easy to mess with. Even in the wild, there are very few animals that can threaten the survival of giant pandas. After all, they are still bears.

Human development is always related to the destruction of the environment. The reduction of forest area has destroyed the habitat of giant pandas, making the habitat of giant pandas less and less.

In addition, the ever-dense population, as well as the construction of roads, dams, etc., have isolated the solitary panda population and reduced the available gene pool needed for a healthy population.

Because they are not as aggressive as other bears, they attract many poachers, which makes the already difficult panda even more difficult.

The good news is that humans are also the best hope for pandas, and now we have done a very good job in protecting giant pandas.

Finally

Giant pandas are called living fossils, and history has witnessed their ability to survive. All animals are the same. Without extreme environmental changes, they can survive well in their own habitats.

No matter where you live, as long as we treat our planet well, we can ensure that many animals are no longer endangered, which is also protecting ourselves.