Pandas are classified as part of the bear family but were originally thought to be part of the raccoon family. The panda lives in the mountain ranges in China, in the Shaanix, Sichuan and Gasnu provinces. Its diet consists of honey, yams, fish, bananas, oranges, eggs, leaves and mainly bamboo which is 99% of its diet. This is strange because pandas are classified as carnivores but it almost no meat. China has 239 pandas in captivity with a possible 2000 to 3000 in the wild but there is not enough certainty to take pandas off of the endangered species list. Pandas are going extinct due to loss of habitat and low birth rate.

Pandas live in many different places and do not make dens which mean they do not hibernate. Pandas are roughly 1.5 meters long. Males are usually 10 to 20% bigger then females. Males weigh up to 115 kg while females weigh up to 100 kg. When pandas are in captivity they loose interest in mating which is not good for breeding programs. Scientists have only recently been able to get pandas to mate in captivity with some sucsess. Pandas are one of the worlds most loves animals. The Sichuan Giant Panda Reserve was added to the UNISCO list if heritage sites in 2006. Don’t we all love pandas?