Pandas
two year old female, Mei Lan
Video of Mei Lan eating BamBoo
The Giant Panda has a black-and-white coat. Adults measure around 1.5 m long and around 75 cm tall, at the shoulder. Males are 10-20% larger than females. Males can weigh up to 115 kg (253 pounds). Females are generally smaller than males, and can occasionally weigh up to 100 kg (220 pounds). The Giant Panda lives in mountainous regions, such as Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi, and Tibet.
The Giant Panda has a body shape typical of bears. It has black fur on its ears,
eye patches, muzzle, legs, and shoulders. The rest of the animal's coat is
white. Although scientists do not know why these unusual bears are black and
white, some speculate that the bold coloring provides effective camouflage into
its shade-dappled snowy and rocky surroundings. The Giant Panda's thick, wooly
coat keeps it warm in the cool forests of its habitat. The Giant Panda has large
molar teeth and strong jaw muscles for crushing tough bamboo.
The Giant Panda has a paw, with a "thumb" and five fingers; the "thumb" is
actually a modified sesamoid bone, which helps the Giant Panda to hold bamboo
while eating. Stephen Jay Gould used this example in his book of essays
concerned with evolution and biology, The Panda's Thumb.
The Panda's Thumb.
The Giant Panda can usually live to be 20-30 years old in captivity.
Text from Wikipedia
Lun Lun with her two month old male
the young male alone
looking curiously
Yang Yang, the male
Photo Gallery of Mei Lan
