Panda Bear Facts and Bedroom Theme

Kaihin at Adventure World Shirahama in Japan on April 15,...

Kaihin at Adventure World Shirahama in Japan on April 15, 2012.

by siwild

Article by Linda Aviles

In the mountainous Bamboo forests of South Western China, you may find a "xiong mao" sitting on an upright position and chewing on a couple of Bamboo leaves. Pandas are considered a national treasure in China. They have been around for millions of years now. These beautiful animals are well-known for their black eye patches, muzzle, legs, shoulders and white fur. The Panda was once considered to be part of the raccoon family because of its similar qualities to the Red Panda. This may be the reason why the Chinese call the Panda, "xiong mao", meaning large bear cat. Believe it or not, the Red Panda is just as obsessed with Bamboo plant as the Panda. Pandas can eat about 3,500 stalks of Bamboo a day. Now that's a lot of Bamboo!

Although the Pandas diet is 99% Bamboo, it is classified as a carnivore because of its powerful jaws that are able to tear flesh. Other vegetation, fish and small animals (rodents) make up the 1% of its diet. Male Giant Pandas weigh around 175 - 250 pounds, although it all depends on its diet and environment. Their average length is 5 - 6 feet long and the height is about 2 - 3 feet tall. Females tend to weigh and measure less than the male. Pandas are considered a little anti-social since they tend to avoid others and prefer to be alone, most of the time. Unfortunately, only about 1,000 of these beautiful bears survive in the wild. People have been cutting down their main food source (Bamboo) to make way for farming, this making it harder for them to survive.

Many people like to associate the Panda Bear with the Yin Yang Symbol because of its black and white features. The Yin Yang Theory is one of the main theories in Feng Shui. It is believed that there exist two complementary forces in the universe, The Yin is the positive and the Yang is the negative. Neither one is better than the other and together they create a perfect balance.

Po at the Atlanta Zoo on April 15, 2012. © SmileyBears.

Po at the Atlanta Zoo on April 15, 2012.