15 fascinating facts about giant pandas

Unlike meat-eating bears that can extract about 60% to 90% of the energy from the food they eat, pandas get less than 20% of the potential caloric power of bamboo. As a result, it's simply impossible for them to eat enough food to get through the winter months in a hibernation state. Bamboo simply does not provide enough energy or supply enough nutrients to sustain a panda for a long period of not eating.

Instead, when temperatures drop in the winter, pandas head down to lower elevations where they can shelter from the elements and avoid the coldest part of the forest.

12. Giant pandas are important symbols

Giant pandas have become important symbols in their native country of China. Now considered an unofficial national symbol, pandas have been a part of Chinese culture and folklore for centuries. They appear in ancient art, literature, and mythology, often symbolising strength and bravery. Pandas are seen as gentle and peaceful, embodying traditional Chinese values.

Panda diplomacy is the act of China giving pandas as a gift to other countries to symbolise goodwill and strengthen diplomatic relationships. This dates all the way back to the Tang Dynasty, over 1,000 years ago, when Empress Wu Zeitan sent a pair of pandas to Japan.

In recent years, the practice has shifted from 'gifting' pandas to loaning captive-bred pandas to foreign zoos, with the aim to raise awareness and funds for ongoing panda conservation.

13. Giant pandas are considered 'living fossils'

Giant pandas are special. They're one of just a handful of species that are known as 'living fossils', as they haven't evolved very much in their millions of years of life on Earth.

Really, the biggest change the species has gone through in three million years is that they've gotten bigger. The earliest pandas were just one metre (three feet) long-today they can be up to 1.9 metres (six feet).

The discovery of fossils from long-dead giant pandas in the 2000s revealed that other than their size, ancient pandas' bones, teeth, and skulls look pretty much the same today.

14. Giant pandas are no longer endangered in the wild

Giant pandas are no longer classified as endangered, thanks to extensive conservation efforts.

In 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reclassified the species from endangered to vulnerable, reflecting the success of years of habitat restoration, anti-poaching laws, and breeding programmes from conservationists.

China's government played a crucial role in this status shift, establishing over 60 panda reserves.

Additionally, reforestation projects have expanded bamboo forests, providing more food sources for pandas. Panda diplomacy is also said to contribute to conservation awareness, research, and funding.

Today, there are an estimated 500 to 1,000 mature pandas living in the wild, with a few hundred also living in captivity. The giant panda's recovery is often used as a symbol of the positive outcome of global wildlife conservation.

While panda populations are slowly increasing, the species isn't totally out of the woods just yet. Continued efforts are essential to ensure their long-term survival, particularly as climate change impacts their habitat.

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