Myths About Pandas

Here are 5 myths about the giant panda

1. Pandas are cuddly and gentle

Photographs may suggest that giant pandas would be excellent pets, but make no mistake, they are bears and built to be agressive. They even harm each other, particularly when establishing dominance or competing during mating season. Panda attacks on humans are relatively unusual, but do happen.

2. Incompetent Breeders

The panda couple, Hsing-Hsing and Ling-Ling, were a breeding pair for almost 20 years. They produced five cubs, unfortunately non survived. Records like this have led to the hypothesis that reproductive incompetence is one factor behind the panda's endagered status. "They have no libido, no interest in repopulating the species," Brian Barrett wrote for Gizmodo. However, there is no evidence that pandas have any issues breeding in their natural habitat. In the wild, aggregations of male pandas form along ridge tops in the spring, and a stream of visiting females in heat keeps the mating activity intense. That’s hard to mimic for zoo pandas. Rather, in most zoos one male is isolated from one female until the fateful day of estrus; and when the moment arrives, neither is socialized to know what to do.

3. Pandas in captivity are rare

Only 50 pandas live outside China, though there are approximately 345 captive pandas within China. Wild pandas remain endangered, estimated only 1,800 remain, and there is a critical role for captive pandas in spreading a conservation message. But compared to other endangered species in captivity, the worldwide population of captive pandas is healthy and thriving.

4. Pandas are not your average bear

Since they were first described by Westerners in 1869, giant pandas have been placed in the bear family (Ursidae), the raccoon family (Procyonidae) and in their own unique family (Ailuropodidea), depending on whether researchers were looking at bone structure, behavior or penile characteristics. They share the name “panda” with one other species, the red or lesser panda. Only in the 1980s was genetic analysis able to differentiate the two, with red pandas being placed within the procyonids and giant pandas within the bear family.

Although pandas go heavy on eating bamboo, as much as 44 pounds a day, they are also known to eat meat such as goats and sheep. Only polar bears are all-meat eaters.


5. Pandas are lazy

The average speed a panda is a sprint at 32 kilometers an hour. Comparable to the fastest humans at 37 kilometers per hour. What they lack in speed, though, pandas make up in endurance. They feed about 19 hours a day, 365 days a year. They do not go into an extended hibernation like other temperate bears; they do not lie in wait for prey or sleep off a big meal. Because they are unable to build up fat reserves, they must continuously hunt for food. Luckily, their food is usually nearby.
Within their native habitat the panda makes seasonal movements up and down steep hillsides pretty normally. Pandas are not lazy, just comfortable.

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Coded by: Deborah Ready email: [email protected]