How Do Pandas Care for Their Young?

Pandas are cubs until they are around two years old, but sometimes don’t leave their mother until they are closer to three years old.

Within a week or so after a panda is born dark patches start to appear around the eyes and ears. Next, the back and legs darken. After a month or so, their eyes open and they begin to crawl when they reach three or four months.

The mother spends most of her time searching for bamboo plants. The cubs start eating bamboo at six months and are weaned from their mother at about nine months. They grow very slowly, reaching adulthood after two to four years. 

Breeding centers were created to help keep pandas from becoming extinct. If the mother has twins and is living in the wild, usually only one survives partly because the mother only takes care of one at a time. But with the help of the staff, captive births of twins ensure that both stay alive.

The breeding center has to try and duplicate mother’s milk. It is made of cooked rice with added vitamins and served for breakfast and lunch until the cubs are about two years old. After six months, the cubs begin to eat bamboo shoots. Pandas in captivity also eat sweet potatoes, carrots, sugar cane, and apples. In the wild, mother pandas usually live alone, but in captivity, her cubs have a chance to play with other cubs.   

Panda Reproduction

Female pandas are called sows, their offspring are called cubs, and males are boars. Female pandas can become pregnant once a year. Gestation is between 95 and 160 days. If the female gives birth to twins, usually only one survives. The babies are born completely pink with a little thin, white hair and are completely helpless. Their eyes are closed and they are about the size of a hotdog.    

Giant Bear Cat

Giant pandas are black and white and live in China, where they are the symbol for peace. Their eyes are unlike other bear’s, with a vertical slit like a cat’s eyes. This is why the Chinese named them Giant Bear Cat.

They are mostly white with black on their ears, feet, legs, shoulders, chest, and eyes. They have a big body with a short tail, big head, and rounded ears. They are almost extinct, with only about 1500 worldwide, which means the species may soon be gone forever. They have what appears to be an opposable thumb, which is really an extension of their wrist bone, which allows them to hold the bamboo stalks which make up their diet.

Habitats and Humanities

Giant pandas live in the temperate mountain forest land in southwest to south central China. During much of the year, the forests have heavy rains, thick mists, and cloud cover. Their favorite food is bamboo, but they don’t digest it well and have to search for bamboo and eat between 10 and 16 hours a day. They also have to eat a lot because bamboo is not very nutritious. They eat the leaves in the summer and fall, stems in the winter, and feast on tender shoots in the spring. Pandas do not hibernate like other bears, and live in small groups.  

The destruction of their habitat by humans is the main reason they are endangered. Because of this, they live in isolated areas and cannot meet other pandas to mate and reproduce. China has 37 protected areas for the giant panda.  The most famous is the Wolong Nature Reserve which has a breeding facility called the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. Perhaps through their efforts and the efforts of others worldwide, the panda will not become extinct.