THEPANDA

The Symbol of China

The Giant Panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

Kingdom – ANIMALIA

Phylum – CHORDATA

Class – MAMMALIA

Order – CARNIVORA

Family - URSIDAE

Natural Habitat

- Inhabits in south-central China - Mountains of Southwest China

HOTSPOT

Giant Panda Facts

• Body shape typical of bears

• Has a black and white coat

• Adults measure

around 4-6 feet

• Weights 220-250 pounds

• Live around 20 years in wild

(30 years in captivity)

Behavior

• Eats 22-30 pounds of

bamboo shoots a day

• Does not hibernate

• Maintains solitary lifestyle

• Females are not tolerant

of each other

• Communicates through vocalization and scent marking

Endangered Species• Human activity (hunting and poaching)• Continued habitat loss• Low birth rate• Pollution

Nature Reserve in China

1975 yr 1985 yr 1995 yr0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500Human Population

Human resident

Nature Reserve in China

1975 yr 1985 yr 1995 yr0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160Number of pandas

Number of pandas

How can we protect it?

• Replant forests• Reduce pollution• Educate more people• Government regulations and laws• Increase artificial habitats (zoos, reserves)

Laws for Panda Protection

• The Forest Law

• The Law of Protection of Wildlife

• The Environmental Protection Law

• Criminal Law

Panda Diplomacy• A wildly popular way for China to soft the relations with other countries• Panda is the National Symbol of China• A panda signified special friend status• China – Japan relationship (Lingling)

Ling Ling, a male giant panda, at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo.

PANDAS ARE CUTE • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzRH3iTQ

Prk

Let’s protect all forms of life on Earth!

Works CitedFranzen, H (2001). Nature Reserve Can’t Protect Giant Panda. Scientific American from: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=nature-reserve-cant-prote

Bedford, C (2011). Improbable Pandas. The Nature Conservancy. from: http://blog.nature.org/2011/06/improbable-pandas

Platt, R, J (2010). Imperiled giant Pandas need replanted bamboo forests in order to reconnect. Scientific American.From: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2010/07/23/imperiled-giant-pandas-need-replanted-bamboo-forests-in-order-to-reconnect/

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. (2008). WORLD BRIEFING | ASIA; China: Hold the Matzo Balls. New York Times. from:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A07E4DC1330F937A35753C1A96E9C8B63&ref=pandas

Lindburg, D., & Baragona, K. (2004). GIANT PANDAS: Biology and Conservation. Berkeley: University of Califorlia Press.