Panda Flashcards
Where do they live
mountains of southwestern china in damp and misty forest
They need 2 things in a home
two bamboo species and water access
Pandas stay in a home range of (Square miles)
3-7
How many hours a day are spent eating bamboo
at least 12
Why do they spend so much time eating?
Bamboo is not rich in nutrients so they have to eat a lot
How do they grab the bamboo
grasp the stalks using their five digits and a special bone that extends from their wrist called a “pseudo-thumb” (kind of like our thumb)
Pandas use their ___ to peel off the tough outer layers to reveal the soft inner tissue of the stalk
teeth
The back of their teeth are ______ to help ____
flattened to help crush and chew the thick stalks
Other food pandas eat
grasses, bulbs, fruits, some insects, rodents (whatever they can find)
At the SD Zoo they are fed?
bamboo, carrots, yams, apples, special biscuits with grain and packed with vitamins
Why are pandas solitary animals?
B/c they need so much bamboo each day to survive
What happens if 2 pandas cross paths?
growl, swat, lunge at each other, and maybe even bite
2 times pandas will come together
- very brief mating season
2. mothers with cubs
male smelling female scent marking
If a male comes across a scent mark of a female in estrus he will stay closer to that female checking her scent markings so he can be present when she is ready for mating
how many days are females receptive to breeding?
2-3 days
Do males help raise cubs?
NO
fast or slow reproductive rate?
slow
mature females usually breed ____
just once every two or three years
in the wild, a typical female will bear about ____ litters in her lifetime
5
how big when born?
size of a stick of butter and hairless
The first couple of days after birth
the mother keeps the cub close and doesn’t leave the den not even to get food or water
When do a cubs eyes open?
50-60 days after birth
When do cubs begin to crawl?
10 weeks
When do a cubs teeth begin to grow?
14 weeks old
When does the cub begin to eat bamboo?
7-9 months but will continue to nurse until about 18 months
When does the mother send the cub off onto its own?
18 months
Predators to cubs?
golden cat, yellow throated marten, weasels
Where do cubs sleep when mother is gone?
trees
When did the SD Zoo first get pandas?
the came to visit in 1987 for 100 days
When did SD zoo first GET pandas?
1996 - Bai Yun, Shi Shi
How many pandas born at the Zoo?
6 - 5 now live in China (per loan agreement with China)
How much bamboo do we grow?
70 different kinds of bamboo and harvest about 700 pounds of bamboo every WEEK
Life span?
14-20 years in the wild. 30 in managed care (zoo)
How long is pregnancy?
135 days
Age of maturity: Female?
4-5 years
Age of Maturity: Male?
6-7 years
How many times do pandas poo in the wild?
50 times
How much does a newborn weigh?
3-5 ounces (800 times smaller than its mother)
How many vocalizations do they have?
12
