Endangered Species Guide : Mammals : Animal Planet

Endangered Mammals

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GIANT PANDA (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

The giant panda has a distinctive white head with black eye patches, ears and shoulders. Unlike other bear species, giant pandas are entirely herbivorous, spending up to 12 hours a day chewing bamboo shoots and roots. Because of poaching and habitat loss, they are extremely rare, occurring in small populations in the bamboo forests of China. Despite being the subject of major international conservation efforts, wild populations of giant pandas may not be enough to save this species.

Learn how to symbolically adopt this animal at WWF.

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IUCN Status: Endangered
USFWS Status: Endangered
Major Threats: Habitat loss, poaching and human encroachment
Habitat: Mountainous regions where bamboo is present
Location: Central China
Diet: Bamboo shoots and roots

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Panda Symbol (C) 1986 WWF

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