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Giant panda
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Common name
Giant Panda (En); Panda Géant (Fr); Panda gigante (Sp);
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scientific name
Ailuropoda melanoleuca
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habitat
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests of Southwest China
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status
Endangered (IUCN 3.1)
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population
1,600 in the wild (2004)
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did you know?
That the panda cub is 1/900th the size of its mother
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height
Upto 150cm for adults
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weight
100 to 150 kg
Quick facts
- In 2004, a survey counted 1,600 pandas in the wild - 40% more than were thought to exist in the 1980s.
- An adult panda can weigh about 100-150kg and grow up to 150cm
- Pandas have the digestive system of a carnivore, but they have adapted to a vegetarian diet of bamboos.
- A panda may eat 12-38kg of bamboo a day
- The panda cub is 1/900th the size of its mother, one of the smallest newborn mammals relative to its mother's size.
- Pandas are good tree climbers.
- When breeding, pandas require at least 30km² to support them over the short term.
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The giant panda is perhaps the most powerful symbol in the world when it comes to species conservation.
In China, it is a national treasure, and for WWF the panda has a special significance since it has been the organization's symbol since 1961 when WWF was formed.Learn more about this amazing species!
About the Panda:
- Panda population
- Habitat: where they live
- Diet: what do they eat?
- How long do panda's live?
- What do they look like: size, weight, colors...
- Natural enemies and defenses
- Panda image gallery
- Evolutionary history
- The future
- Why are they endangered?
- Why save the panda?
- How we can save the panda?
- What can I do to help?
- Ask your questions / get answers...
- More facts: giant panda factsheet [pdf, 732 KB]
- Articles and reports on pandas
© WWF-Canon / Susan A. MAINKA
View the panda photogallery. From there you can send panda ecards to your friends and download desktop wallpapers...
How you can help
Related Links
Emblem of hope for a nation and global biodiversity
This peaceful, bamboo-eating member of the bear family faces a number of threats. Its forest habitat is fragmented and populations are small and isolated from each other. Meanwhile, poaching remains an ever-present threat.Over 50 reserves created
By mid-2005, the Chinese government had established over 50 panda reserves, protecting more than 10,400km² and over 45% of remaining giant panda habitat.
However, habitat destruction continues to pose a threat to the many pandas living outside these areas.
Currently, only around 61% of the population, or about 980 pandas, are under protection in reserves. As China's economy continues its rapid development, it is more important than ever to ensure the giant panda's survival.
WWF on the ground
WWF has been active in giant panda conservation since 1980.
More recently, WWF has been helping the government of China to undertake its National Conservation Programme for the giant panda and its habitat.
This programme has made significant progress: Reserves for this species cover more than 16,000 km² of forest in and around their habitat. A survey (released in 2004) revealed that an estimated 1,600 individuals remain in the wild.
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