What do Giant Pandas eat?

The Giant pandas' diet is very specific, consisting entirely of bamboo. Sometimes, they may catch rodents, such as bamboo rats, to eat.

How much bamboo do Giant Pandas eat a day?

As pandas can only absorb about 10-18% of nutrients available in the bamboo they eat, it is necessary for them to eat more than 10 kg of bamboo a day to meet their daily requirement.

Why is the absorption of nutrients so low in the Giant Pandas?

The reason is because Giant Pandas have a carnivorous digestive system, a system that is relatively short with insufficient bacteria to digest the cellulose of plant matters. As a result, absorption of nutrients is poor under a herbivorous diet.

Bamboo is a very tough plant material, how do Giant Pandas cope with eating them?

Giant Pandas have very strong cheek muscles, jawbones and teeth. They are highly efficient for chewing and breaking down the bamboo in to smaller pieces suitable for swallowing.

The five digits of the Giant Panda front limbs are arranged in a straight line, how can this arrangement allow the panda to grasp the bamboo firmly for feeding?

Giant Pandas have a "sixth digit" called the pseudo-thumb. It is a modified wrist bone which effectively enables the pandas to manipulate and grasp bamboo for feeding.

There are 1,200 bamboo species in total in the world, do Giant Pandas like to eat all of them?

Wild pandas only eat 40 species of bamboo, and only 2-6 are their favourites. They include Bashania fangiana, Fargesia Qinlingensis and Fargensia nitida..

Which part of the bamboo contains the most nutrients?

The leaves of the bamboo are most nutritious and balanced in nutrients. However, the nutritional value of different parts of the bamboo changes according to seasons.

Do Giant Pandas change their eating habits according to different seasons?

Seasonal changes affect the panda's preference of which part of the bamboo to eat. For example before winder arrives, panda prefers to eat the roots of the bamboo because they contain more water and protein, availability of which is scarce during the harsh winter months.