Species of the week: Giant Panda

Species of the week:
Giant Panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

1. It is a bear that is easily recognized by the black patches over the eyes, around the body and the ears.
2. Although  considered carnivores, the panda's diet consists mostly of bamboo with meat acting as a supplement.
3. They are about 1.2 to 1.8 m long and stand at 60 to 90 cm tall.
4. They can weight about 100-115 kg.
5. They can up live up to 20 years in the wild and 30 in captivity.
6. Pandas will eat about 9 to 14 kg of bamboo a day.
7. Panda mating season is between March and May and the female is in estrus, once a year for two or three days.
8. They give birth to one young every two years give or take and gestation lasts about 95 to 160 days.
9. Pandas do not have permanent dens but instead spend time changing locations throughout their territory.
10. Great Pandas are listed as "Endangered"by the IUCN and are conservation icons,