The giant panda,also known as the panda bear or simply panda,is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes used to distinguish it from the red panda,a neighboring musteloid. Adult individuals average 100 to 115 kg,and are typically 1.2 to 1.9 m long. The species is sexually dimorphic,as males are typically 10 to 20% larger. The fur is white,with black patches around the eyes,ears,legs and shoulders. A thumb is visible on the bear's forepaw,which helps in holding bamboo in place for feeding. Giant pandas have adapted larger molars and expanded temporal fossa to meet their dietary requirements.
The giant panda is a bear from the family Ursidae.
The red panda,also known as the lesser panda,is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs,white-lined ears,a mostly white muzzle and a ringed tail. Its head-to-body length is 51–63.5 cm (20.1–25.0 in) with a 28–48.5 cm (11.0–19.1 in) tail,and it weighs between 3.2 and 15 kg. It is well adapted to climbing due to its flexible joints and curved semi-retractile claws.
Ailuropoda is the only extant genus in the ursid (bear) subfamily Ailuropodinae. It contains one living and three fossil species of panda.
The Qinling or Qin Mountains,formerly known as the Nanshan,are a major east–west mountain range in southern Shaanxi Province,China. The mountains mark the divide between the drainage basins of the Yangtze and Yellow River systems,providing a natural boundary between North and South China and support a huge variety of plant and wildlife,some of which is found nowhere else on earth.
Ailuropodinae is a subfamily of Ursidae that contains only one extant species,the giant panda of China. The fossil record of this group has shown that various species of pandas were more widespread across the Holarctic,with species found in places such as Europe,much of Asia and even North America. The earliest pandas were not unlike other modern bear species in that they had an omnivorous diet but by around 2.4 million years ago,pandas have evolved to be more herbivorous.
Wolong National Nature Reserve,officially known as Wolong Special Administrative Region,is a national protected area located in Wenchuan County in China.
The Chinese giant salamander is one of the largest salamanders and one of the largest amphibians in the world. It is fully aquatic,and is endemic to rocky mountain streams and lakes in the Yangtze river basin of central China. Either it or a close relative has been introduced to Kyoto Prefecture in Japan and to Taiwan. It is considered critically endangered in the wild due to habitat loss,pollution,and overcollection,as it is considered a delicacy and used in traditional Chinese medicine. On farms in central China,it is extensively farmed and sometimes bred,although many of the salamanders on the farms are caught in the wild. It has been listed as one of the top-10 "focal species" in 2008 by the Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered project.
Changqing National Nature Reserve is located near Huayang Village in the Qin Mountains of Shaanxi province of China.
Ailuropoda microta is the earliest known ancestor of the giant panda. It measured 1 m (3 ft) in length;the modern giant panda grows to a size in excess of 1.5 m (5 ft). Wear patterns on its teeth suggest it lived on a diet of bamboo,the primary food of the giant panda. The first discovered skull of the animal in a south China limestone cave is estimated to be 2 million years old. The skull found is about half the size of a modern-day giant panda,but is anatomically very similar. This research suggests that the giant panda has evolved for more than 3 million years as a completely separate lineage from that of other bears.
The golden snub-nosed monkey is an Old World monkey in the subfamily Colobinae. It is endemic to a small area in temperate,mountainous forests of central and Southwest China. They inhabit these mountainous forests of Southwestern China at elevations of 1,500–3,400 m (4,900–11,200 ft) above sea level. The Chinese name is Sichuan golden hair monkey (四川金丝猴). It is also widely referred to as the Sichuan snub-nosed monkey. Of the three species of snub-nosed monkeys in China,the golden snub-nosed monkey is the most widely distributed throughout China.
Ailurarctos is an extinct genus of panda from the Late Miocene of China,some 8 million years ago.
The golden takin is a threatened subspecies of takin,native to the Qin Mountains in the south of China's Shaanxi province. There are four distinct subspecies of the Takin:Mishmi Takin,Sichuan Takin,Bhutan Takin/White's Takin,and Golden takin.
Foping Nature Reserve in Shaanxi Province,China,is a nature reserve and national park situated in the Qinling Mountains. The Nature Reserve covers 350 km2 (140 sq mi) and is under the leadership of the Ministry of Forestry. Foping Nature Reserve is girdled by other protected areas:It is bordered in the east by the Long-caoping Forest Farm;in the west it is flanked by the Changqing Nature Reserve;Zhouzhi Nature Reserve,the stronghold of the Golden Monkey,and Laoxiancheng Nature Reserve are situated to the north. The Foping Reserve covers 29,240 hectares of rugged mountain terrain and is home to a stable panda population. Elevations range from 1,080 to 2,094 m with warm summers and cold winters. 950–1,200 mm of rain falls mostly from July to September,with snow at higher elevations. Forested lands dominate the reserve with a mix of conifers and broadleaf deciduous trees.
Er Shun is a female giant panda,born at the Chongqing Zoo.
The giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a bear native to south central China.
Fargesia robusta is a species of clumping bamboo in the family Poaceae,native to Sichuan,China. Typically 3 m (10 ft) but reaching 4.5 m (15 ft),and with a narrow growth form,it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit as an ornamental. A number of cultivars are commercially available,including 'Campbell','Pingwu','Wenchuan',and 'Wolong'.
Baylisascaris schroederi is a species of roundworm in the family Ascarididae. It occurs in China and is a parasite of giant pandas. Many wild giant pandas are infected with this parasite.
