Giant panda (Scientific name: Ailuropoda melanoleuca Belongs to the bear family, Giant panda genus mammal It's China. Endemic species . Only two subspecies , Sichuan subspecies and Qinling subspecies. Females are 10-20% smaller than males. The head is 1.2-1.8 m long and the tail 10-12 cm long. Weight 80-120 kg, up to 180 kg. He's got a fat body The bear Plump and plump. Round head, fat body, short tail. The body color is black and white, the eye circles, ear shells, shoulders and limbs are dark black, and the rest are milky white. Round cheeks, large "dark circles under the eyes", the signature slinky walking style, but also the sharp claws of a scalpel. Giant pandas have thick skin, up to 10 mm at its thickest point. ^[37]

It lives in a dense bamboo forest at an altitude of 2600-3500 meters, where the year-round air is thin, shrouded in clouds, and the temperature is below 20℃. The abundance of bamboo, the distribution of terrain and water are favorable for the species to build nests and raise young. Giant pandas are good at climbing trees and love to play. The act of climbing trees is usually a way for the weak to avoid the strong when they are approaching marriage, or to escape danger, or when they meet each other. The giant panda eats half of the time every day, and the rest of the time is mostly spent in sleep. In the wild, giant pandas sleep for 2-4 hours between feeding sessions. Bamboo is 99% of the food of giant pandas, and there are 12 genera and more than 60 kinds of bamboo plants for giant pandas to eat. Giant pandas live between 18 and 20 years in the wild and can exceed 30 years in captivity. ^[44]

Giant pandas have survived on Earth for at least 8 million years and are known as" Living fossil "And" National Treasure of China "( National beast ), World Wide Fund for Nature The Ambassador of the World for biodiversity Conservation Flagship species . By January 2024, the wild population of giant pandas in China had increased to nearly 1,900. As of October 2023, the total number of Chinese giant pandas living abroad has reached 63. ^[36] ^[38]

Be included in China's national wildlife list One level.

Chinese name: Giant panda
Latin name: Ailuropoda melanoleuca
alias: panda , Bamboo bear , Silver dog , Dongga , Du Tonga , A surname , nationality , Fierce leopard , siderophaga
Foreign name: Giant Panda (English)
Panda géant (in French)
Panda Gigante (in Spanish)
PBH, PBH, MB, MB, MB, MB, MB, MB, MB, MB, MB, MB, MB, MB (Russian)
Bambusbär, Großer Panda, Riesenpanda (German)
Synonymous scientific name: Ursus melanoleucus David, 1869 ^[3]
International endangered rating: Vulnerable (VU) ^[3]
Animal protection levels in China: First-class state protection of wild animals ^[27]

world: animalia
The door: Chordate phylum
The outline: mammalia
Orders,: Carnivora
Families,: Ursidae
Belong to: Giant Panda
Kind of: Giant panda
subphyla: Vertebrate subphyla
subclass: Eutheria
subfamily: Giant panda
subspecies: 2 subspecies (Giant panda named subspecies, Qinling subspecies of giant panda ) ^[2]
Namers and years: (David, 1869) ^[3]
Protection level: CITES Appendix I, 2019 edition ^[42]

catalogue

History of speciology

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EDITOR

evolve

The giant panda has a long history. The oldest member of the giant panda ever discovered eocalamus ( Ailuaractos lufengensis ) fossils were found in China Yunnan (Province) Lufeng County and Yuanmou Both places, Geologic time Late Miocene, about 8 million years ago. In the long and harsh competition for survival and natural selection, many animals of their time have been extinct, but the giant panda is strong, in an advantage, and has survived until now. Living fossil ". ^[4]

The ancestor of the giant panda is the protopanda, the first carnivorous panda that evolved from a bear-like species. The main clade of the Eo-panda continued to evolve in central and southern China, with one species occurring about 3 million years ago Pleistocene Initially, it appeared smaller than the panda, and it was inferred from its teeth that it had evolved into an omnivore that was also a bamboo eater and an oviparous bear. Since then, this main clade has expanded to the subtropics, and fossils have been found in North China, Northwest China, East China, Southwest China, South China and even Vietnam and northern Myanmar. Fossils from northern Myanmar and Vietnam, and much of China as far away as Beijing, suggest that giant pandas were widespread in East Asia during the Early Pleistocene (2.6 million to 11,700 years ago). In the process, the giant panda adapted to the life of the subtropical bamboo forest, and gradually increased in size and depended on bamboo for survival. Between 500,000 and 700,000 years ago Pleistocene The middle and late period is the peak of the giant panda. The living giant panda has well-developed molars and a "thumb" in addition to five toes in its claws. This "thumb" is actually a section carpus Specialized formation, scientific name is called "radial sesamoid", mainly plays the role of holding bamboo. ^[5] ^[47]

Fossils show that the ancestors of giant pandas appeared in the early Cambrian period 2-3 million years ago. At its peak hundreds of thousands of years ago, the giant panda belongs to a group of stegodonts whose habitat once covered much of eastern and southern China, from Beijing in the north to southern Myanmar and northern Vietnam in the south. Fossils are usually 500-700 meters above sea level Temperate zone Or subtropical forest found. Later, the animals of the same period have become extinct, but the giant panda relict To this day, and maintain the original ancient characteristics. ^[5]

Chinese people's understanding of panda has a long history, as early as the early days of writing recorded a variety of titles for panda. " The Book of History call Pi , the 毛诗 Be called "white" Pi , the Records of Mount Emei call PI Xiu The Book of the Beast said raccoon , Li Shizhen 's Compendium of Materia Medica call tapir Wait a minute. ^[4]

In March 1869, France naturalist Armand Davide abbe (Armand David 1826.9.7-1900.11.10) in Sichuan Province, China Ya 'an City Baoxing county the Dengchigou During the scientific investigation near the church of (Moping), the trace of the local people called white bear and flower bear was found. With the help of local hunters, on April 1, he collected specimens of the white bear, with black and white fur and hairy feet, like a bear, which was a strange animal he had never seen before. Specimens and skeletons were shipped to France. Alfons Miller-Edwards, a scientist at the Museum of Natural History in Paris, identified the "black and white bear" as a new species and named it" Ailuropoda melanoleuca The identification report was published in the fifth volume of the New Document of the Museum of Natural History of Paris in 1869, and since then, the cat bear hiding in the wilderness has entered the vision of human civilization. ^[4] ^[25]

name

The modern name of the giant panda (that is, the common name in China) was originally named as the original name panda or Giant panda It means it has the shape of a face The cat So round, but the whole body is like The bear At that time, it was directly affiliated with Ursidae . Since before the 1950s, the way of writing in Chinese is straight book, reading is from right to left, and after changing to horizontal book, it is from left to right, when the Beibei Museum in Sichuan in 1939 explained the title with horizontal book, the name panda, and at that time visitors were used to straight book from right to left reading, misread as "panda". ^[6]

Since then, the first in the main production of its hometown (Sichuan), the long tradition of misinformation, a long time has become accustomed to the panda renamed panda. Later, its common Chinese name was Giant Panda, and it was recognized by people. Its local name, in its hometown is called white bear, or white old bear, there are also called "flower bear"; in Minshan Mountain The Zang nationality Regional name swinging or Du Tonga , Pingwu county Baima Tibetan It is called "Dongga"; Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture The Yi nationality It's called "E Qu". All these place names, although called differently, have the same meaning as those called in ancient books PI Xiu or tapir All that means is that its body color is white, or black and white, or its body shape is like a bear. ^[6]

Other nicknames for giant pandas include Hua Xiong, bamboo bear, silver dog and Big raccoon. Silver Dog, it's because Red panda The name of the place and the product is called Golden Dog, and the corresponding panda body color is white and called it silver dog. The bamboo bear is named after its main diet of bamboo. The bear means it is Chinese nation A rare and exotic animal. ^[6]

After the Western world recognized it, it was originally translated as "Big panda" or "panda bear", but another legend, in the 20th century newspaper first published news, accidentally was reversed into "panda", did not expect to become a universal name. If you follow these names as a clue, you can trace many magical records. ^[6]

There are relatively perfect rules and requirements for the formal name of giant pandas, which basically require the connection with its ethnic group to be reflected in the name, so as to track and identify in the relevant scientific research process.

sort

The exact classification of the giant panda has been disputed for decades because of its association with The bear and raccoon Have common characteristics. In 1985, molecular studies showed that giant pandas were true bears and belonged to the ursidae family. These studies suggest that giant pandas diverged from a common ancestor of the ursidae about 19 million years ago; It is the most basic member of the ursidae and is equally distant from all other living bear species. Giant pandas are called living fossils. ^[50]

Researchers have struggled to identify giant pandas ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ) to reach an agreement on the classification. In the early 20th century, wildlife researchers and taxonomists who discovered giant pandas in China believed that they were related to red pandas and that they shared several characteristics, such as both eating bamboo . And have some similar unusual anatomical features, such as a part of the wrist that resembles an opposable thumb. Both animals are called "pandas". Their behavior, diet, habitat, and lifestyle are very similar, and the red panda's behavior is just as funny, slow, and clumsy as the giant panda's. Their gait and posture when walking are also similar, and the Chinese naturally assume that they are similar animals. In China, they now overlap. ^[45]

DNA Studies generally classify giant pandas as either ursidae or Pandamidae, and red pandas as cyclamidae. Since the giant panda and the red panda share the characteristics of the bear and the raccoon, and are clearly different from the animals of these two families, the scientific classification of the giant panda has been controversial, and it has been proposed that the giant panda be listed as a single family of giant pandas to solve the problem. Even with modern genetic testing techniques, comparing different proteins or nucleic acids can yield very different results. Therefore, the classification of giant pandas is still highly controversial. The closest living creature to the giant panda is in South America Spectacled bear . ^[45]

Classification of giant panda

The American Journal Of Mammalogy (Journal of Mammalogy) published a paper in the fourth issue of 2005, which divided giant pandas into two subspecies: Sichuan giant pandas and Qinling giant pandas. One of the Qinling giant pandas was Beijing Normal University in 1964 Zheng Kwang-mi First proposed by Professor, while Zhejiang University School of Life Sciences Fang Shengguo The research of Professor et al. led to international recognition of this statement. ^[46]

For more than 100 years, biologists have debated the correct classification of the giant panda species, and finally the data collected by modern molecular biological methods have confirmed that the giant panda belongs to its own genus and does not belong to it Procyonidae Nor does it belong Arctos . ^[47]

On December 13, 2009, the giant panda genome sequencing research project was completed. The sequencing involved more than 20,000 genes on 21 pairs of giant panda chromosomes. The results of the study showed that the giant panda is a species of bear family and has been associated with it genome Among the sequenced species The dog The genome of the giant panda is the closest (78.2% of the total genome of the giant panda is similar to the whole genome of the dog, and 63.2% of the total genome of the human). At this point, the giant panda belonging to the bear family has been scientifically certified and widely accepted. ^[44] ^[48] ^[50]

There are eight living species in the bear family: the giant panda, the spectacled bear, Asiatic black bear , American black bear , Brown bear , Sloth bear , Sun bear and Polar bear Among them, the giant panda lineage branch is the earliest. ^[49]

Phylogenetic branch of ursidae

discover

Baoxing county Located in northwest China's Sichuan province, the city of Ya 'an is a place of overlapping mountains, luscious streams, towering trees and pleasant scenery throughout the year. It is in the transition zone from the basin to the plateau and high mountains. It contains nearly a quarter of all animal species in China, many of which are rare and exotic. During his stay in China from 1862 to 1874, French missionary Almang Davidde learned that there were many species of animals in Baoxing, Sichuan, some of which were rare and unknown to people, so he arrived in Baoxing from Shanghai and served as the fourth generation priest of Dengchigou Church in Donghe, Muping. ^[30]

In the spring of 1869, David passed a family named Lee on the way, and suddenly, a black and white strange animal skin hanging on the wall deeply attracted David. The owner told him that the local people called this animal "white bear", "flower bear" or "bamboo bear", it is very docile and generally does not hurt people. David was thrilled, predicting that the animal "will be an interesting new species for science" and that the discovery will fill a gap in the world's animal research. In order to find this strange animal, David hired 20 local hunters to conduct a hunt. On March 23, the hunters brought the first little White bear, but unfortunately they killed it to make it easier to carry. ^[30]

On May 4, 1869, David caught a "bamboo bear", he gave the "bamboo bear" named "black and white bear", the cute "black and white bear" hairy, black and white appearance, as well as a round and big head and funny actions much David loved. After a period of careful feeding, David decided to bring the cute "black and white bear" back to France. This lovely "black and white bear" can not withstand the bumps of the long mountain road and the constant change of the climate, and has not yet arrived Chengdu Dying, David had to very regretfully make this "black and white bear" skin specimen And sent to the National Museum in Paris, France. The world's first giant panda type specimen was produced in this way. ^[30]

The National Museum in Paris, France, put this hide on display, and after a full study by museum director Miller Edwards, he believed that it was neither a bear nor a cat, but another larger panda similar to the small panda found in Tibet, China, and officially named it "Giant Panda". ^[30]

In 1939, Chongqing Pingming Zoo held an exhibition of animal specimens, among which the "panda" specimen attracted the most attention of the audience. Its signage uses the popular international writing format, with Chinese and Latin . However, since the customary way of reading Chinese at that time was to read from right to left, visitors would pronounce "panda" as "panda", and over time, people would conventionally call "giant Panda". There is a newspaper in Taiwan has written to "panda" to correct the name, but the people have been used to, but feel that "panda" is not so easy to say. From then on, the modern name "giant panda" was born. David became the first foreigner to introduce China's Baoxing giant pandas to the Western world. ^[30]

The discovery of giant pandas caused a sensation in the Western world. Since then, waves of Western explorers, hunters and museum collectors have descended on giant panda producing areas in an attempt to unravel the mystery of the giant panda and hunt down this rare animal. That includes the United States Roosevelt The president's two sons, Theodore Roosevelt and Kermit Roosevelt. The two brothers first went to Baoxing County, where David found the panda, and found nothing, and then entered again Daliang Mountain . in Yuexi county They shot and killed a giant panda, stuffed it and brought it back to the United States. Later, explorers from Germany, Britain and other countries hunted pandas, and more were purchased from Chinese hunters. For a time, many museums in Western countries have specimens of giant pandas. But they were never able to capture a live panda. ^[30]

In 1936, 67 years after Father David discovered the giant panda, Ruth Elizabeth Harkness, a 35-year-old New York fashion designer, was married. Her husband, William Harkness, was an avid explorer who left for China two weeks after their marriage in search of giant pandas. However, William died of illness in Shanghai before he could reach the panda producing areas. Determined to fulfill her husband's legacy, Ruth left for China in April 1936, two months after his death. ^[30]

Ruth's expedition consisted of just two people - she and 25-year-old Chinese American Quinting Yang. From Shanghai, they took a small wooden boat upriver to Chengdu and then entered Wenchuan In the mountains and forests to find the tracks of giant pandas, set traps for hunting. On November 9, 1936, when Yang Kunting caught a small furry animal from the hole in the tree and handed it to Ruth, who had been numb with cold, she could hardly believe that this was the live giant panda that Westerners had been dreaming of for more than half a century. Ruth thought that this little guy of less than 3 pounds was a female (later proved to be a male), and named it after Yang Kunting's wife. Su Lin ". Lucky Ruth quickly returned to Chengdu with Su Lin and then took a plane to Shanghai. ^[30] ^[33]

Although Westerners had sought out the giant panda for more than half a century and knew it was a rare animal on the brink of extinction, until then the Chinese knew almost nothing about it. Hunters can hunt this "bear" at will, and the government does not have any regulations and measures to protect it. Finally she bribed her way onto a ship to America. She put Su Lin in a large wicker basket and wrote on the customs registration form, "Take with you. pekingese One ", mixed out of the customs. ^[30]

Ruth and Su Lin are still sailing in the Pacific Ocean, and the trans-oceanic telegraph has already spread the news across the United States. Ship in San Francisco When the dock came in, it was Christmas The day before, the surprised Americans held a grand welcome ceremony on the pier, and they arranged the most luxurious suites for the precious guests to hold a grand welcome party. Su Lin was sent to be exhibited in many big cities and caused a sensation wherever she went. Roosevelt's son Theodore, who had been to China in search of giant pandas, was very emotional when he saw Su Lin and said, "If this little guy is a souvenir under my gun, I would rather use my son instead." ^[30]

After fierce competition, Chicago, USA Brookfield Zoo Got Su Lin. People flooded in, with up to 40,000 on one day, surpassing the zoo's record attendance. Su Lin's every move became news in the newspaper. Businessmen are scrambling to produce products with giant panda images. Chic women strut around in giant panda swimsuits. Even a cocktail is named after the giant panda. Ruth and Sulin's story became a bestseller and made it to the screen. ^[30]

Unfortunately, Su Lin only lived a year and was put on permanent display. The emergence of Su Lin has brought the giant panda from the museum to the public. It is not only rare, but also cute, and has become an animal star all over the world. From 1936 to 1941, the United States alone removed nine giant pandas from China. Church school in Chengdu West China University Was a big help in that. After 20 years in the giant panda producing areas, Tamgier Smith, a British man known as the "Bear Elvis", acquired a total of nine live pandas in three years between 1936 and 1938 and brought six of them to the UK. ^[30]

During World War II, London Zoo The giant panda" Ming Under the bombardment of German aircraft, he showed calm and played freely, and became a wartime hero in the eyes of London citizens. During the worst of the war, newspapers were still reporting on Ming's life. Ming died in late 1944. " The Times According to the obituary, "She can die without regret because she brought joy to thousands of people." In December 1945, after the end of World War II, the British organized a team of more than 200 people through diplomatic channels to Wenchuan for a large search, and finally captured a giant panda to the United Kingdom. Like many things in China, the panda's status in the country has risen rapidly after it gained prominence abroad. Beginning in the 1940s, the government began to restrict the hunting activities of foreigners. ^[30]

In July 2022, scientists from China and the United States found that the panda preferred to eat bamboo for at least 6 million years by studying the "sixth finger" fossil of the early giant panda. The results are published in the international journal Scientific Reports. The research results show that the giant panda's "sixth finger" is not like the human thumb can move independently, it is fixed by the joint, with the first Metacarpal bone and scapholunate Form a complex, and then interact with other metacarpals. Although it is a passive grip, it is enough to provide the pandas with the grip they need to eat bamboo. ^[29]

March 12, 2024, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences news, the Institute of Chen Youhua team and Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Zhan Xiangjiang The team carried out joint research, comprehensively considered the ecological variables, genetic diversity and diffusion ability of species and other key factors, and innovatively proposed the Life Strategy index (LSI), a comprehensive assessment standard. The study showed that in a taxon involving eight flagship or iconic species, giant pandas, Chinese giant salamander and Chinese alligator Shows higher evolutionary or ecological potential. ^[41]

Morphological characteristics

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EDITOR

Body type

The giant panda has a fat body The bear Generally, males are about 10-20% larger than females. The head is round and the tail is short, the head is 1.2-1.8 meters long, and the tail is 10-15 centimeters long (the second longest tail in the bear family, after the sloth bear); Shoulder height 60-90 cm; The average weight of adult giant pandas is 100-120 kg, the heaviest can reach 180 kg, and the male can weigh up to 160 kg. Females weigh 70-125 kg. ^[5]

Giant pandas are most notable for their large size and round face, a result of their adaptation to a bamboo diet. Anthropologist Russell Ciochon observed: "Like herbivorous gorillas, the giant panda has a low ratio of body surface area to body volume, which indicates a low metabolic rate. This lower metabolic rate and more sedentary lifestyle allows pandas to survive on nutrient-poor resources such as bamboo. The giant panda's round face is caused by powerful jaw muscles, which extend from the top of the head to the lower jaw. ^[44]

The giant panda's skull has also undergone some changes. They had a large sagittal ridge that became wider and deeper, resulting in powerful jaws. Giant pandas also have a penis bone (bone rod in the soft tissue of the penis). However, the penis bones of other bears are straight forward, while the penis bones of giant pandas are "S" shaped and face backward. ^[44]

Adorable state

fur

Giant pandas have thick skin, up to 10 mm at its thickest point. The skin thickness of different parts of the body is also different, the back of the body is thicker than the ventral side, the outside of the body is thicker than the internal side, the average thickness of the skin is about 5 mm, and the color is white and elastic and tough. The giant panda's thick fur keeps it warm in the cool forests of its habitat. ^[7]

Giant pandas have black hair around their eyes, ears, limbs and shoulders, and the rest of their fur is white. Head and body color black and white distinct, but black is not pure black, white is not pure white, but black through brown, white with yellow. Qinling Mountains Individuals in the region are large, with coarse body hair and slightly brown abdominal hair. Minshan Mountain especially Qingchuan county Pingwu county The individual is smaller, the body hair is thinner than the former, and the abdominal hair is not obvious brown, but the individual in Liangshan is not small. ^[5] ^[44]

The panda's distinctive color seems to act as camouflage in both winter and summer environments, as they do not hibernate. White areas act as camouflage in the snow, while black shoulders and legs hide them in the shade. Field studies have found that from a distance, pandas take on destructive colors, while up close, they rely more on blending into their environment. Black ears may be used to show aggression, while an eye mask may help them identify each other. The black and white appearance is conducive to hiding in dense forest trees and snowy ground and is not easy to be found by natural enemies. ^[5] ^[44]

pupil

Giant pandas have very little vision. This is because the giant panda lives in a dense bamboo forest for a long time, the light is very dark, and there are many obstacles, causing its vision to become very shortsighted. And because its pupils are cat-like diastema Yes. Therefore, when the night falls, they can still move. ^[8]

tooth

Giant panda teeth have excellent load-bearing capacity and damage resistance, which can be used to chew bamboo. Its tooth enamel has a special repair function, so that its teeth are not easy to wear when chewing bamboo branches. The giant panda has a total of 42 teeth: the upper jaw consists of six incisors, two canine teeth, eight premolars and five molars. The lower jaw and upper jaw have the same tooth structure, and the two together have 42 teeth. The canine bite force of the giant panda was 1298.9 newtons, and the split bite force was 1815.9 newtons. ^{[52] 51 -}

Their teeth are similar to those of a bear. With the change of feeding habits of giant pandas, some organs have also changed correspondingly, especially the teeth Molar tooth Very developed, is the most powerful carnivore, the structure is more complex, close to omnivorous Beasts, carnassia The differentiation is not obvious, Canine teeth and Premolar teeth Developed, not alveoli Gap. The upper incisor teeth are arranged in an arc, the lower incisor teeth are in a horizontal row, and the second pair of lower incisor teeth are often positioned backward, seemingly forming a double row, which is more obvious in the skull of elderly individuals. The roots of the canine teeth are thick, while the crowns appear shorter and the tips are not sharp. The first pair of premolars are very small and often have one or both sides missing. The leading edge of the second pair of upper premolars is tilted inward and the posterior edge is tilted outward, in a semi-oblique position. The crowns of the third and fourth pairs of upper premolars are prismatic, with 3 on the outer side and 2 on the inner side. The molars, known as mounds, have a very broad chewing surface, roughly rectangular, with nodular tips of different sizes. The upper molars have four larger tips, and the last upper molar is very large, extending backward to the back of the zygomatic bone, and the crown has a complex small prismatic surface Odontoid process The last lower molar is small and inconspicuous, located on the medial side of the leading edge of the mandibular branch. In general, the last upper molar of carnivorous animals is located at the leading edge of the base of the coronoid process, and the backward movement of the giant panda's molar teeth can limit the left and right swing of the upper and lower molar teeth, and can enhance the chewing effect, but the grinding effect is limited. The wear of the lower molars begins laterally while the wear of the upper molars begins inwards because the distance between the left and right upper molars is greater than the distance between the lower mandible molars. In general, its teeth are different from those of other carnivores, but very similar to those of herbivorous ungulates. ^[11] ^[51]

Giant panda (tooth)

paw

Giant pandas have relatively sharp claws and developed powerful front and back legs, which is conducive to the giant panda can quickly climb tall trees. The distinguishing feature of a panda is an extra opposable finger on its hand, known as the "panda thumb". In the past, the panda's thumb has caused confusion about the classification of these bears. This finger is not actually a thumb, but a leather pad covering the radial sesamoid structure (carpal bone). The panda's unusual anatomical feature is an enlarged wrist bone that functions somewhat like a thumb, allowing the panda to handle food with considerable dexterity. The five clawed toes of the front palm are concurrent, in addition to a sixth finger, a powerful one growing out of the carpal bone sesamoid It plays the role of a "thumb", and this "thumb" can be matched with the other five fingers to hold bamboo well, and even grasp things and climb trees. The standard name is "radial sesamoid". ^[11] ^[44] ^[47]

Giant pandas grip and chew bamboo. (Photo by Sharon Fisher, Wang Xiaoming

Giant panda PAWS

Scent gland

The giant panda's solitary nature is highlighted by its reliance on smell. Each giant panda is limited to a range of about 4-6 square kilometers, but these ranges often overlap greatly. Under this arrangement, odor plays a role in regulating contact between individuals. Large located below the tail and around the anus Scent gland Used to leave olfactory information for other pandas. This gland is rubbed against trees, rocks, and grass, and the scent conveys information that marks an individual's identity, gender, and possible social status. Chemical analysis of the markers was consistent with differences in male and female function. Males seem to use scent to identify the area they live in, while females primarily use scent to signal estrus. Apart from mothers caring for their cubs, giant pandas' only social interaction occurs when the female is in heat. Males appear to locate females first by scent and eventually by vocalization. ^[47]

habitat

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EDITOR

Giant pandas live in the high mountains and deep valleys of the upper Yangtze River in China Southeast monsoon On the windward side, the climate is cool and humid, and its humidity is often above 80%. They are a kind of hygrophilic animals. Giant pandas live in 6 strips of land, including Minshan Mountain , Qionglai Mountain , Liangshan Mountain , Daxiangling Mountain , Xiaoxiangling Mountain and Qinling Mountains Such as several mountains, across the three provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu 45 counties (cities), habitat area of more than 20,000 square kilometers. The wild population has reached more than 1800, of which more than 80% are distributed in Sichuan. Their active areas are mostly in the depression, mountain belly depression, valley terrace and so on, generally in the 20° below the gentle slope terrain. These places have lush forests, good bamboo growth, relatively stable temperatures, good hiding conditions, and abundant food and water resources. ^[8] ^[35]

Giant pandas live at an altitude of 1200-4100 meters, mainly in dense bamboo forests of 2600-3500 meters, where the air is thin all year round, shrouded in clouds, and the temperature is below 20℃. A number of other factors also affect the distribution and density of pandas in the wild: bamboo, terrain, water distribution, the availability of shelters and nesting areas for young pandas, and mountain conditions. Human disturbance is the main factor affecting the distribution of giant pandas today. ^[3] ^[5]

Giant pandas are not afraid of cold and wet, and never hibernate. Even when the temperature is -4 to 14℃, they still walk through the bamboo thickets, which are heavily pressed by the snow. They are also not afraid of humidity, always love to live in a damp world with more than 80% humidity. ^[8]

Living environment and species morphology

Life habit

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EDITOR

Behavior characteristics

The giant panda eats half of the time every day, and the rest of the time is mostly spent in sleep. In the wild, giant pandas sleep for 2-4 hours between meals, lying on their back, on their side, on their stomach, stretched out or curled up in a ball. In the zoo, the keepers feed them regularly twice a day, so the pandas spend the rest of their time resting. Giant pandas look cute even when they are sleeping. They are very flexible and can put their heavy bodies into a variety of positions. His favorite position is to prop up his legs in a tree and cover his eyes with his hands. ^[9]

The most lovely feature of the giant panda is its chubby body and its slow way of walking. This is because they live in an environment where there is plenty of food, no predators, and there is no need to move quickly. However, it is this slow movement that allows it to conserve energy to adapt to low-energy foods. They also sometimes climb trees to spy, escape intruders, or take naps. ^[9]

Giant pandas are good at climbing trees and love to play. The act of climbing trees is usually a way for the weak to avoid the strong when they are approaching marriage, or to escape danger, or when they meet each other. Pandas sometimes go down to the valley, into the village or house, POTS and pans, especially round utensils as toys, after playing abandoned mountains. Sometimes they are friendly with sheep, pigs and other domestic animals, and eat and live together. ^[9]

Under normal circumstances, the panda temperament is always very docile, the first time to see people, often used to cover the front palm, or lower the head, do not show the true face. They rarely actively attack other animals or people, and always use avoidance when they encounter each other in the wild. But once the mother, the little baby is sacred and inviolable, even if it is a care to visit, it will provoke the mother's anger, tooth-and-claw, hand and foot. Sometimes they also like some grooming and other adaptive activities. You can straighten the body like a cat, the front is extended, the back half is raised, so that the body is flexible, or after waking up, the front legs stretch straight to yawn. If you get wet or wade across a river, you can also shake off the water like a dog. ^[9]

In the wild, giant pandas often clash during the estrus season, especially when three or four males pursue a single female in heat. Sometimes, females and males fight. In zoos, their fights are usually over water, food or one giant panda taking over good territory. ^[9]

play

Scent marking

For the giant panda population, visible signals are meaningless: their round faces lack expression, their tails are short, they have no crown or brown hair to spread out, and their ears can be raised and lowered but are not flexible enough. This is because pandas live in the thick mist filled bamboo forest high in the mountains, unable to see each other. ^[10]

Most of the panda's communication is through scent markers left in the habitat. When they want to meet, usually during heat season, they find each other by scent marking. ^[10]

Marking their territory by scent is their secret to staying peaceful in the bamboo forest. Giant pandas will be anal around gland The secretions are smeared on pillars, tree stumps, walls, ground, and places they often pass through. The panda's odor communication plays many roles in its social environment. Scent markers and scents are used to transmit information about sexual status, including whether the female is in heat, age, sex, personality, dominance of territory, and choice of settlement. These scent markers allow them to avoid each other or cluster together. When they are not in heat, they will walk away at the first scent of an unfamiliar panda. During heat season, the scent of a female panda may indicate that she is ready to mate and hopes to attract a male. ^[10]

Pandas have several ways of marking themselves. They're used a lot. urine Or a mixture of urine and perianal gland secretions. When they make a mark, they move their head and half open their mouth. After making the mark, they peel the bark off the marked area or leave scratch marks to attract the attention of other pandas. ^[10]

Sound communication

The species communicates primarily by making babbling noises. Pandas interact peacefully by making these sounds. When in heat, the female makes a chirping sound. In hostile confrontations or fights, giant pandas will roar or growl and other sounds. Screams, on the other hand, usually indicate inferiority and submission in an argument. Other vocalizations include tweets and groans. Giant pandas rely on their rich "language" to express emotions ranging from amorous to angry. Silence is another form of communication. When pandas are playing, or simply being friendly, with no mating or aggressive thoughts, they don't make any noise. This vocal rule can help people judge the behavior of most pandas seen in zoos. ^[10]

Edible food

The feeding of the giant panda is one of its most peculiar and interesting habits, because it almost entirely depends on eating bamboo to live, in the wild naturally to eat more than 50 kinds of plants, bamboo accounts for more than half, and accounts for 99% of the annual food, of which the most favorite to eat are big arrow bamboo, Huaxi arrow bamboo and other 7 species. ^[11]

The pandas are still there carnivore There is no complex stomach and large cecum, which herbivores have, for storing food, and no stomach for fermenting cellulose from plants into absorbable nutrients Symbiotic bacteria or ciliate . The only way to get the nutrients you need is to eat quickly and pull as you go. An adult giant panda weighing 100 kg will spend 12-16 hours a day in spring eating 10-18 kg of bamboo leaves and stalks, or 30-38 kg of fresh bamboo shoots, while discharging more than 10 kg of feces to maintain itself metabolism The balance of... ^[11]

The food of giant pandas is poor in nutrition and cannot have too much energy storage. In order to conserve energy, activities that consume too much energy must be controlled. Therefore, it likes to walk in gentle places and avoid climbing hills. Usually only in a small range of activities, using smell, sound, etc., to transmit information, do not directly contact each other. In addition to eating bamboo, giant pandas also eat some weeds and other plants, but the amount they eat is very small. In addition, it is not a real "monk", encounter the opportunity, also want to open a "meat", to restore the nature of its ancestors. For example, in its habitat there is a species of rodent called bamboo rat Commonly known as "bamboo rink", it eats the underground roots of arrow bamboo and causes arrow bamboo to die. But its meat is tender, delicious and nutritious, just as a local saying goes: "Turtle doves in the sky, bamboo on the ground." The giant panda has a clever way to deal with the bamboo rat, once you smell it, or find its tracks, you can quickly find its cave, and then use the mouth to breathe into the hole, and beat hard with its front PAWS, forcing the bamboo rat to flee hurriedly, the giant panda takes the opportunity to jump up, hold down with its front PAWS, tear off the rat skin, and eat its meat. If the bamboo rat does not come out of the hole, the giant panda will dig a hole and raid the house until it is captured. ^[11]

Although the giant panda also has the potential of carnivores to eat meat, it rarely preys on animals or animal carcasses, which is not that it does not like to eat meat, but a lack of opportunities. Because in the distribution area of the giant panda, there are few large carnivores, and there are not many remains for it to eat. If it often goes to catch small animals such as mice, the nutrition it gets is often not enough to compensate for the energy consumed. Therefore, the giant panda can only occasionally eat a little meat, and most of the time it depends on bamboo to sustain life, becoming a lifetime of rules and bamboo animals. ^[11]

Captive giant pandas mainly take one or several kinds of low mountain Pingba bamboo as their staple food and complementary food Grain Class is modulated by the main Concentrated feed . Bamboo is the key to the growth and development, health and normal breeding of giant pandas. With the improvement of breeding technology of giant panda, it is gradually realized that providing alpine or subalpine mangosteen for giant panda to eat is important for its health and normal breeding. Plus improved transportation. Under captive conditions, it can also provide a large number of alpine or subalpine bamboo species for giant pandas. ^[12]

The food of the giant panda is not a single arrow bamboo, in fact, the giant panda likes to eat more kinds of bamboo, arrow bamboo is only one of the more common species. These bamboos grow in subalpine dark coniferous forests and mountains for a long time Dark coniferous forest Mixed coniferous broad-leaved forest and mountain Evergreen broad-leaved forest Under the canopy of the forest, the distribution varies from 700-3500 m above sea level. The staple food of giant pandas in different mountain systems is bamboo. The panda's diet varies with the mountains and seasons, eating different kinds of bamboo or different parts of the same bamboo in different seasons. Spring and summer love to eat different kinds of bamboo shoots, autumn mostly to bamboo leaves as the staple food, winter to bamboo stalks as the staple food. ^[12]

Common species of bamboo eaten by giant pandas in the wild include: Arrow bamboo , August bamboo , Fruit bamboo , Qiongzhu , Qiongongia macrophylla , indocalamus , Bamboo with few flowers , Yushanthus breviconus , north back Yushanthus, ejeju , Bashan wood and bamboo , Bamboo with rough flowers , Dipterygodes lacunaris , Mandarin bamboo Let's wait. The commonly used edible bamboo species of captive giant pandas are Bashan Muzhu, Bambusa spinosa , Bambusa alba , bamboo , bamboo , Bitter bamboo , Broad-leaved indocalamus , Moso bamboo Also known as Mengzong bamboo, cold arrow bamboo, cane bamboo, bamboo March bamboo shoots, square bamboo shoots, etc. In addition to mainly eating bamboo, captive giant pandas can also obtain a small amount of concentrate feed, fruit, vitamins and trace element additives. This is mainly because giant pandas in captivity are not completely free to eat, and there is insufficient or unbalanced nutritional intake. Therefore, manual additions and supplements are made. The main raw materials of concentrate feed include corn, soybean, rice, wheat and so on. After cleaning these raw materials, according to a certain ratio, through a special process to make food for giant pandas. All food for giant pandas is subject to strict selection criteria and is subject to safety and nutritional testing before use. Only the food that meets the requirements can be finally provided to the giant pandas. ^[12]

Take food

Feeding method

Giant pandas spend nearly half of their day eating. The digestive tract of the giant panda retains the characteristics of its ancestors and is similar to that of carnivores, such as being relatively short Alimentary tract Sharp canine teeth, single compartment stomach, no caecum As well as relatively sharp claws and more developed Meat pad . In the long process of evolution, it gradually evolved into a high-fiber bamboo as a staple food, and evolved some structural characteristics that adapt to living on bamboo, such as Musculi masseter In addition to having five toes, the front paw has also evolved a pseudo-thumb to form a grip structure for easy grip of bamboo. ^[13]

Giant pandas spend most of their time on their hands and knees collecting, preparing and eating food. They don't care where they are - sitting, lying down, leaning on their side - they just keep peeling and eating the leaves. Ninety-nine percent of the panda's diet is bamboo, but sometimes it's wild flowers, vines, weeds, honey, and even some meat. ^[8]

Giant pandas staple bamboo, but also love to drink water, most of the giant panda homes are located near the stream water, can drink fresh spring nearby. Giant pandas drink water at least once a day, although some places are rich in food, lack of water, it is difficult to find giant pandas. In winter, when the mountains and rivers are frozen by ice, some pandas may also be reluctant to travel long distances because of the hidden conditions and food bases of their homes, down the gully, to drink water in the valley, and then return home. Giant pandas always seek to get water near the far, day after day out of an obvious drinking path. When they reach the stream, they drink by licking. If the stream is thin with ice or filled with gravel, they break the ice with their front PAWS or dig a shallow pit about 25×20 cm with their claws. Giant pandas rely on bamboo as their main food, but bamboo is difficult to digest and absorb. As a result, the panda's energy intake is greatly limited, and all its activities must take into account as much energy as possible and as little energy consumption as possible. ^[8]

With the change of climate and food distribution, giant pandas have a vertical migration habit, moving up the mountain in summer to hunt for bamboo shoots, and moving down the mountain snow in autumn and winter to the middle and low mountain areas. ^[13]

The giant panda has a low digestive utilization rate of bamboo, and the food stays in the body for a short time, so it takes a large amount of eating and rapid discharge to obtain enough energy to meet its needs. According to the different parts of the giant panda to eat bamboo in different seasons, its daily intake is roughly as follows: 23-40 kg of bamboo shoots; Bamboo leaves 10-18 kg; Bamboo stalks 17 kg. Giant pandas are very intelligent animals, which shows in their excellent feeding strategies. They not only select the bamboo species with the best nutritional value in the region, but also preferentially select the parts with the highest nutritional value. The order of eating is bamboo shoots, young bamboo, bamboo stalks. ^[13]

Distribution range

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EDITOR

In existence: China (Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces); Extinction: China (Hunan and Hubei provinces). ^[14]

Giant panda is an endemic species in China, distributed in Qinling Mountain, Minshan Mountain, Qionglai Mountain, Daxiangling Mountain, Xiaoxiangling Mountain and Daliangshan Mountain. The Qinling mountain system is distributed in the southern foot, the main distribution county is Foping, the general distribution county is Yang County, only a small number of distributed counties are Taibai, Ningshan, Zhouzhi, Liuba, Ningqiang and so on. The Minshan mountain system is distributed in Sichuan except Wenxian County in Gansu Province. In Sichuan, there are mainly Pingwu Qingchuan and Beichuan counties, generally distributed in Jiuzhaigou County, Songpan, MAO County and other counties, a small number of counties are distributed in An county, Mianzhu, Pengzhou, Shifang and Dujiangyan City. qionglai The mountain system is mainly distributed in Baoxing, Wenchuan and Tianquan, etc., generally distributed in Dayi and Lushan, while only a small number of distributed counties include Qionglai, Chongzhou, Kangding and Luding. In addition to the size of the phase ridge Hongya and Mianning for the general distribution of counties, only a small number of distributed counties have Xingjing, asbestos, Hanyuan, Kowloon and so on. In addition to Ma Bian, Meigu and Yue Xi, there are only a few distributed counties such as Ganluo, Ebian and Leibo. ^[15]

Giant panda distribution map

Mode of reproduction

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EDITOR

Wild pandas live in dense forests, and they grow to a certain stage of mating and reproduction, that is, estrus, courtship, mating, pregnancy and breeding. Pandas usually live alone, in the breeding season, male and female attract each other, in the dense bamboo forest, began to carry out various courtship activities. Pandas are a multi-male system. They give birth in small numbers throughout their lives, and the young are less likely to survive. Due to the highly specialized reproductive ability and breeding behavior of pandas, the population growth of pandas is very slow. ^[16]

In captivity, the female giant panda is about 4 years old, the male giant panda is about 6 years old, and the wild giant panda is slightly later in sexual maturity. In addition to the estrus breeding season, giant pandas generally live alone at other times and have their own areas of activity. ^[16]

copulation

Female giant pandas come into heat once a year, each time only for a short period of 2-3 days, usually in March to May. Adult male and female giant pandas gradually gather in one place and understand each other and attract each other mainly through the communication mode of smell and smell (by leaving odor and smell markers). When they reach estrus climax, they express love and achieve mating through auditory and visual communication means such as continuous bleating and bird calls and waiting for mating posture. In the panda mating site, sometimes as many as 2-5 male pandas compete and successfully mate with the same female panda successively, and there are cases where only one male and one female panda mate. Mating takes place mostly on the ground, but also in trees. At the mating site, there are also subadults and pandas with weak mating ability to watch and learn. The estrus behavior of male giant pandas occurs with the estrus behavior of female giant pandas, and it also reaches a climax with its orgasm. In the same estrus season, a male giant panda can mate with multiple female giant pandas, and the same female giant panda can also accept the mating of multiple males, so the marriage in the giant panda world is multi-male and multi-female. After mating, the male and female giant pandas live separately again, and the work of pregnancy, childbirth and young rearing is completed by the female giant panda alone. ^[16]

breed

The gestation period for giant pandas is 83-200 days, and the cubs are usually born around August, usually in a hidden tree cave, or natural rock cave, with branches and hay carefully laid by the mother. For the sake of the safety of the next generation, the giant panda has changed its docile temper in the past, is very defensive, and does not allow any animals (including people) to approach its sacred and inviolable little baby. ^[16-17]

The strangest thing about giant panda breeding is that its newborn is quite immature at birth, weighing only 0.1% of its mother's weight, and the newborn baby is very light, the average birth weight is about 145 grams, about one-thousandth of the weight of the adult giant panda, the lightest is 51 grams, and the heaviest is 225 grams. Caring for a baby is a very difficult task for a female giant panda, usually lasting 18 months and sometimes up to two years until her next baby is born. ^[17]

Newborn pandas have pink skin with sparse white fur. For the first few weeks of its life, the mother will hold the baby in her arms, warm it, protect it, almost never leave it, and hold it in her mouth when it moves. In this regard, pandas in captivity and pandas in the wild are the same. If a giant panda mother is seen licking her baby, it is likely that she is helping her baby defecate. During the breeding period of giant pandas, the baby's call is a very important communication tool between the mother and the baby. When the baby wants to eat milk, want to defecate, is cold or overheated, or is uncomfortable for other reasons, the baby reminds the mother to meet its different needs through different calls. After 1-2 weeks, the dark hairs will begin to darken. Within a month, they slowly grow black ears, eyes, legs and shoulder straps, becoming more like their mother. When the young are 6 to 8 weeks old, they can open their eyes and begin to grow teeth. After three months, you can crawl slowly. ^[17]

In the wild, if twins are born (nearly 50 percent of pandas give birth to twins in captivity), the mother will usually ignore or reject the weaker one, which ensures that at least one will survive. In captivity, artificial feeding will be carried out, and cub exchange technology will be used to try to make all giant panda cubs can survive. ^[17]

Giant panda cub	Giant panda cub	Giant panda cub
Giant panda cub	Mother and Son	Mother and Son
Mother and Son	Mother and Son	play

Subspecies differentiation

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EDITOR

Giant Panda (2 subspecies 2 variants)
	Chinese name	Scientific name	Namers and years
1	Qinling subspecies of giant panda	Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis	Wan, Wu & Fang, 2005
2	Giant panda named subspecies	Ailuropoda melanoleuca melanoleuca	(David, 1869)
3	White giant panda	Variant species	/
4	Brown giant panda	Variant species	/

^[2]

Conservation status

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EDITOR

Protection level

Be included in Appendices I, II and III of CITES Appendix I, 2019 Edition of CITES. ^[42]
Be included in Iucn Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN) April 11, 2016:
- 2008 - Endangered (EN). ^[14]
- 2016 - Vulnerable (VU). ^[14]
Listed in China's" National list of wildlife under special protection "(5 February 2021). ^[27]

Population status

On February 28, 2015, State Forestry Administration A press conference was held to announce the results of the country's fourth giant panda survey. The survey results show that by the end of 2013, the country Wild giant panda The total population is 1,864, the captive panda population is 375, the wild panda habitat area is 2.58 million hectares, the potential habitat is 910,000 hectares, distributed in 17 cities (prefectures), 49 counties (cities and districts), 196 towns and townships in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. The number of protected areas with panda distribution and habitat distribution increased to 67. ^[18]

The distribution area of giant panda is already quite small. In fact, its distribution is limited to the southern slope of Qinling Mountain in Shaanxi Province, Minshan Mountain at the border of Gansu and Sichuan Province, Qionglai Mountain, Dxiangling Mountain, Xiaoxiangling Mountain and Daliangshan Mountain in Sichuan Province, which are separated from each other. It inhabits the mountain bamboo forest of deciduous broad-leaved forest, coniferous broad-leaved mixed forest and subalpine coniferous forest belt at an altitude of 1400-3600 meters, with a total area of 29500 square kilometers. Each area is divided into smaller units due to human factors such as mountains, rivers or roads, and cultivated land, so the actual area of the habitat is less than 20% of the total area, only about 5,900 square kilometers. In total, there are 30 small populations in China, totaling about 1,000 individuals. In addition to Wolong in Sichuan Province, each population has less than 50 individuals, and some only have more than 10 individuals. Fragmented habitats and isolated living conditions are detrimental to panda reproduction and resistance to natural disasters. ^[8]

Due to the inevitability of inbreeding, giant pandas cause recessive gene homozygous, offspring vitality reduced, and even deformed or dead. This phenomenon is also a serious problem for pandas raised in captivity in zoos. Most of the individuals are from the same wild area, so many cubs bred in zoos appear deformed or stunted after birth, and most of them die early, making it difficult for the population to maintain and develop. ^[8]

Because the giant panda is an extremely valuable natural historical heritage in the world, it has important academic research value, and its survival and protection status is concerned by the world. The fundamental measures for the protection of giant pandas are to protect the habitat of giant pandas, promote the breeding of giant pandas in the wild and in captivity, improve and strengthen management methods, adopt scientific methods, create the necessary conditions for the survival of giant pandas, stabilize and then develop the population of giant pandas, and develop and restore the potential habitat of giant pandas. ^[8]

By the end of 2011, there were 333 pandas in captivity around the world. The only units that can regularly maintain a breeding population of more than 10 are Wolong China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Shaanxi Rare Wild Animal Rescue and Breeding Research Center, and Beijing Zoo. Giant pandas are a highly endangered species. ^[19]

By the end of 2013, the number of wild giant pandas in China had reached 1,864, an increase of 16.8 percent. ^[20]

As of November 2019, the global captive panda population has reached 600 individuals. ^[21]

As of January 2021, the wild population of giant pandas in China has increased to 1,864. ^[1]

On July 7, 2021, State Council Information Office Hold a press conference, Department of Natural Ecological Protection, Ministry of Ecology and Environment Director general Cui Shuhong The number of giant pandas in the wild has reached more than 1,800, and the threat level has been reduced from endangered to endangered vulnerable . ^[26]

In March 2022, data showed that the giant panda has increased from 1,114 in the 1970s and 1980s to 1,864, with a total global captive population of 673. ^[28]

In 2015, the monitoring data found that Zhou Zhi National nature reserve The distance of giant panda activity tracks on both sides of the corridor has been shortened from the original 8.7 kilometers to about 2 kilometers; In 2018, giant pandas were photographed crossing the northern side of the corridor National Highway 108 ; Photos and videos of giant panda activities were taken several times in the corridor area in 2020 and 2022 respectively. In May 2023, Zhouzhi National Nature Reserve of Shaanxi Province When collecting and sorting out field infrared camera data, the staff of the Banfang protection Station of the Administration found that the infrared camera deployed on the east side of the 108 National Road took photos of an adult giant panda activity. ^[32] On May 27, the Wolong National Nature Reserve Administration in Sichuan released a series of photos and videos of the world's only white giant panda, including its face and rare scenes of it with a pair of mother and son giant pandas and suspected mating and fighting with another wild giant panda. ^[34]

Department of Wildlife Conservation, National Forest and Grass Service, 25 January 2024 Inspector Second Class Zhang Yue said that over the years, the captive population of giant pandas has gradually expanded and is kept in captivity around the world A total of 728 animals. ^[39]

March 3, 2024: According to monitoring, the total wild population of giant pandas has grown from about 1,100 in the 1980s to nearly 1,900 now. ^[40]

Endangered cause

1.
Due to the blind activities of human beings, their habitats are destroyed and their habitat area is reduced. Habitat is destroyed, forming isolated islands, resulting in population fragmentation, inbreeding, and species degradation. Giant panda populations are distributed in more than 25 isolated habitats. These isolated habitat areas are 205 km2 (30-2384 km range) in size, with the majority (67%) being less than 350 km2. This isolation and fragmentation of the population is an important factor that threatens the population in the long term, and the phenomenon of inbreeding decline in small groups will reduce fertility, young survival rate and resistance to disease. Eventually, the island members will disappear. According to the genetic analysis of the panda population in the Qinling Mountains, there are more than 200 giant pandas, which can constitute a breeding group of about 90, and the rate of generational hybridization decline is 0.54%, after 12 generations, that is, 140 years later, each member will have 1/8 genes of the same, equivalent to Cousins.
2.
Mining in the panda's habitat without government permission, pollution, and logging and hunting by miners are also threats. Deforestation. At least 10,000 hectares of giant panda habitat are logged every year. Its habitat is disappearing at a rate of about 2.5 square kilometers a year. The population of giant pandas in Shaanxi, Gansu and Sichuan provinces has doubled to more than 430,000 people. From 1950 to 1985, there were 27 large forestry enterprises (excluding county logging farms). The verified area of forest harvested was more than 420,000 hectares, and the annual logging area was more than 20,000 hectares, resulting in a habitat increase from 31,450 square kilometers in the early 1970s. After 15 years, it has been reduced to 13,921.52 square kilometers, reducing the area by 17,528.48 square kilometers, accounting for 56% of the original habitat, and resulting in the disappearance of pandas in 6 logging areas, and only a few pandas remaining in 10 logging areas, and the population has declined sharply.
3.
Capture too much. For example, in Wenchuan County Caopo before 1949, the United Kingdom, the United States and other Western countries, at that time, the acquisition and capture of more than 20 live animals (hunters outside), resulting in the population of giant pandas there, so far more than 50 years, the number is still small, and has not recovered. For example, Baoxing County has captured more than 113 giant pandas in only one county since 1963. Since the mid-1950s, more than 240 pandas captured from the wild have been exhibited at home and abroad, of which more than 110 are concentrated in Baoxing and more than 60 in Pingwu, resulting in the destruction of population structure in these two counties and a significant decline in numbers. According to the analysis of the life table of giant pandas, they take about 12 years for a generation, the population growth is very slow, if a large number of capture, even in the case of good protection, it will take decades to recover.
4.
Due to the expansion of human activities, giant pandas are forced to retreat to the top of the mountain. Bamboo species are very simple, and once bamboo blooms, there is no room to maneuver. Only in 1975, the bamboo flowering in Minshan area, more than 138 dead; In 1980s, a large area of cold arrow bamboo blossomed in Qionglai Mountain. 108 dead giant pandas were found after the disaster, and 33 died after rescue, a total of 141 pandas. Pandas have a single source of food, only eat bamboo, due to the destruction of habitat, its only food bamboo has been destroyed in a large area, once the bamboo is destroyed, its survival will be affected. The bamboo itself also blooms widely, so the lack of food is also a factor.
5.
The reproductive system of the panda itself is infected by certain bacteria, the female spawning rate is reduced, and the male's mating desire is reduced, which is also a major reason for the imminent extinction of the panda. Giant pandas give birth to only a few offspring in their lifetime, usually only once every two years, a litter of only two red pandas and the female panda does not have the energy to feed them all. The low survival rate of panda cubs, the strong dependence of pandas on habitat, and the poor adaptability to environmental changes are all reasons why giant pandas are endangered. ^[3] ^[43]

Protective measure

In 1992, the State Planning Commission of China approved the State Forestry Administration to organize and implement the 10-year "China Project for the Protection of Giant Pandas and Their Habitats". The implementation of the project has carried out a lot of work in the background resource survey, infrastructure construction, personnel comprehensive capacity building, protection and publicity education, giant panda resource rescue and monitoring, artificial breeding and breeding research, and has made positive progress. The project focuses on the establishment of giant panda nature reserves, and plans to improve the construction and management of 13 existing giant panda nature reserves from 1992 to 2002; 14 new giant panda nature reserves; Construction of 17 giant panda protection corridors; Set up panda habitat protection and management stations in 32 counties; Strengthen scientific research on captive breeding and ecological research of giant pandas. ^[22]

In 1998, the state began to organize the implementation of the "Natural Forest Protection Project", including Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces and regions in the west to implement a comprehensive ban on logging of natural forests, the abolition or conversion of state-owned forestry enterprises, giant pandas and so on Rare and endangered wild animals And its habitat plays a critical role in conservation.

In December 2001, as one of the six major national forestry projects, the State Forestry Administration launched the "National Wildlife Protection and Nature Reserve Construction Project", and once again listed the protection of giant pandas and their habitats as key protected species to continue to give key protection. ^[22]

The administrative management system of giant panda protection in China is formed by five top-down management bodies at the central, provincial, city (prefecture), county and nature reserves. The State Forestry Administration is responsible for the protection of giant pandas throughout the country, and local forestry departments at all levels are responsible for the protection and management of giant pandas within their respective jurisdictions. Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces have set up wildlife protection and management agencies in 16 cities and 45 counties where giant pandas are distributed to take charge of panda protection within their jurisdictions. With the care and support of governments at all levels and all sectors of society, the protection of giant pandas and their habitats across the country has achieved remarkable results. The forestry departments of the provinces, cities (prefectures) and counties (cities) have basically established special (and part-time) protection agencies, and the construction of infrastructure, personnel capacity building, patrol, rescue, monitoring, community co-management, and foreign exchanges and cooperation are developing steadily. ^[22]

Ex situ conservation of giant pandas is a beneficial supplement to in situ conservation of giant pandas, that is, to develop captive populations under artificial conditions to achieve the smallest self-sustaining size with individual giant pandas in the wild as group builders. When the captive population reaches a certain level, the preparation for the release of captive individuals into the wild should be carried out in a timely manner, and the positive interaction between ex situ protection and in situ protection should be established. Has basically formed to Sichuan Wolong China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas For the head, Sichuan Chengdu Base of Giant Panda Breeding Shaanxi Louguantai Giant Panda Rescue Center and Beijing Zoo As the focus of the national captive giant panda breeding development system. ^[22]

After the substantial development of the captive giant panda population, the Chinese government duly launched the experimental work of releasing captive giant pandas into the wild. In July 2003, the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda raised giant pandas in captivity. auspicious Put it into a artificially controlled natural environment for three years of wild training to improve its survival ability in the wild. In August 2005, the State Forestry Administration and the Sichuan Provincial Government will meet Dujiang Weir Rescue giant panda "Shenglin 1" into Longxi Hongkou Nature Reserve, using regular automatic fall off GPS The collar is used for tracking and positioning monitoring, to further understand and master the wild living habits and activity rules of giant pandas, to understand the adaptation of the rescue giant pandas to the unfamiliar environment, and to lay the foundation for the release of captive individuals. In April 2006, after three years of training, the giant panda "Xiang Xiang" was officially released into the pure wild environment of Wolong Reserve to test the results of the three years of training, and the practice of "training instead of release" was implemented, which was the first time in China that captive-bred giant pandas were systematically released into the wild environment. It marks the transformation of giant panda protection work from strengthening the field rescue and strengthening the artificial captivity stage to a new stage of wild release. ^[22]

Relevant knowledge

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EDITOR

Gene map

Shenzhen, October 11, 2008 Bgi Research Institute Announcing the world's first giant panda Genome map The drawing is complete. Scientists say it will provide new avenues for the conservation and artificial breeding of the endangered species, known as "China's national treasure," as well as advance other scientific research on the giant panda. ^[31]

In March 2008, the international "Giant Panda Genome Research" project initiated by Chinese scientists and jointly participated by scientists from Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Denmark and other countries was launched. Drawing the giant panda genome sequence map is the first part of the project, and BGI Shenzhen undertook the main task. The genome-wide assembly software and high-performance computer independently developed by BGI have played a key role in this process. Scientists selected the giant panda "Jing Jing" for genome sequencing, "Jing Jing" is 2008 Beijing Olympic mascots One of the prototypes has been living at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. ^[31]

The study found that the giant panda has 21 pairs of chromosomes, and the genome size is similar to that of humans, about 3 billion Base pair It contains 20,000 to 30,000 genes. The results of genome sequencing support the view that the giant panda is a subfamily of the bear family. Through with has been done Whole genome sequencing The researchers also found that the giant panda genome is the closest in structure to the genome of the dog, and there is also a greater similarity with humans, and a greater difference between the mammal and the mouse. ^[31]

The completion of the panda genome map will help solve the genetic question of why pandas are less fertile, giving scientists a chance to help produce more pandas. Also involved in the research work Shenzhen University , Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding , China Giant Panda Research Center, Fudan University , University of Hong Kong Let's wait. with Nankai University A joint research program on the function and structure of the giant panda proteome will also be launched. ^[31]

WWF logo

WWF is the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) World Wide Fund for Nature ). In 1986, WWF recognized its original name as "World Wildlife Fund ". World Wildlife Fund The name was changed to "World Wide Fund for Nature" to reflect the expanded scope of its activities. Only a few affiliates, including the United States, still use the old name World Wildlife Fund. In order to eliminate confusion caused by different countries and languages, the unified name "WWF, the global conservation organization" (WWF). ^[23]

WWF logo

The giant panda, as a well-known symbol of WWF, is widely used around the world and is well known to the world. In 1961, the giant panda "Xi Xi" went to the London Zoo in England to borrow an exhibition, causing a crowded scene. Recognizing that an influential logo can overcome all linguistic barriers, WWF unanimously endorsed the moving image of the giant panda as the organization's symbol. Since then, the lovely giant panda has become an iconic symbol of the global nature conservation movement. The WWF Panda logo is a registered trademark and may not be used by any individual or entity without permission. It is possible that WWF partners will be granted the right to use the logo. ^[23]

Logo design

In order to further promote and standardize giant panda protection publicity activities and create China's unique ecological culture of giant panda protection, China Department of Wildlife Conservation and Nature Reserve Management, State Forestry Administration Commission... China Green Times Carry out the collection of giant panda protection logos, and make a special business card for giant panda protection through a special icon. For the wide collection of outstanding design works of giant panda protection logo, China Green Times From September 1 to October 31, 2012, 40 outstanding designs will be selected from the public, and the authors of the shortlisted works will be rewarded. The winners will also have the opportunity to visit Wolong Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province and the China Giant Panda Research Center. ^[24]

The event received strong support from all walks of life. China Wildlife Conservation Association , China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, School of Fine Arts, Tsinghua University , School of Design, Central Academy of Fine Arts , School of Art and Design, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology Assist in organizing personnel to participate in this activity. In addition, the public can also Sina Weibo Find the "Love Giant Panda" certified micro blog, understand and follow the activities. ^[24]

Relevant data

As of October 2023, the total number of Chinese giant pandas living abroad has reached 63, and the overall health is good. ^[36]

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