The Panda

Appearance
The adult panda, weighing about 200 to 300 pounds (90 to 140 kilograms), has a white heavy body, black legs, and a broad band of black across its shoulders. It has a massive round head,short snout, and small, round black ears. The panda has a white face with black patches around each eye. The panda usually grows to about 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 meters) in length, measures 4 and ahalf feet high, and has a short tail. They have plantigrade feet, that is, both heel and toes make contact with the ground when walking, in a manner similar to humans.
Comparisions are being madebetween pandas and bears. In fact, some people called pandas "panda bears". If you look at a panda, you may think that it is a bear; however, there are differences in skull structure, teeth and behaviorthat eliminate it from the bear species.

Pandas live in bamboo forests on upper mountain slopes of western and southwestern China. The size of their home range, when compared to the home ranges ofbear species, is quite small. The panda's home range, in general, will vary from 3.8 to 6.5 square kilometers, or 1.5 to 2.5 square miles
Pandas need a great deal of food to keep alive. They must eatgreat amounts of bamboo every day in order to get enough nutrition to survive. Every day they eat for 12 to 16 hours. Pandas will eat 10 to 18 kilograms ( 22 to 40 pounds) of bamboo leaves and stemseach day. When consuming fresh bamboo shoots, their necessary intake rises to approximately 38 kilograms (84 pounds) every day. Occasionally, they catch and eat a small bird or mammal.
Pandas spendmost of their time by themselves. Most avoid direct contact with others of their own kind. At a stage in their life, pandas are forced to spend time with each other. In the spring, males and femalesmust find each other in order to mate. In autumn, the females give birth to one cub which will live with her for the next 18 months or more.
The female panda gives birth once a year to one or two...