What? The "top-tier" giant panda can actually bark like a dog? 7 little-known facts about giant pandas

Speaking of our national treasure

The first thing that comes to mind is the giant panda.

In our impression

Giant pandas are all very cute.

Let everyone fall in love with it in an instant

But you know what?

Giant pandas make a living by being cute

There is another side that is unknown to the public

Let’s take a look today

Those little-known facts about giant pandas!

1. Why are giant pandas so cute? Are they cats?

The giant panda is actually a member of the bear family and is one of the carnivores with the highest bite force.

Although the word "cat" is in the name of the giant panda, it is a carnivorous mammal belonging to the Ursidae family. In everyone's impression, the giant panda has always been an animal that eats bamboo. Little do people know that the giant panda was originally a meat eater, and after evolution, it later became fond of eating bamboo, but the giant panda's teeth and digestive tract are still preserved as they were.

Data shows that the giant panda's bite force is as high as 1298.9N, which is second only to polar bears, tigers, lions and other animals, and is on par with brown bears.

2.Are giant pandas born with severe myopia?

Because giant pandas have lived in dense bamboo forests for a long time where the light is dim, their eyesight has deteriorated during millions of years of evolution. As a result, they can only see things within a few meters, and things that are a little further away are very blurry. Pandas mainly recognize things through smell and sound.

3. The slow-moving giant panda is actually an athlete?

Although pandas look chubby and slow in everything they do, they are actually good athletes. They climb trees at least once a day and swim as much as possible as long as there is water.

When in danger, giant pandas can run at a speed of more than 40 kilometers per hour under the forest, which is equivalent to the speed of a car.

4. Giant pandas spend 55% of their lives eating bamboo?

99% of the giant panda's food is bamboo. Giant panda cubs start eating bamboo when they are 6 months old. An adult giant panda eats 12 to 38 kilograms of food every day, and it takes about 12 to 16 hours to eat every day. However, due to the low nutrition and low digestibility of bamboo, giant pandas can only keep eating to maintain metabolic balance.

5.How many fingers does a giant panda have?

We often see that giant pandas can grasp bamboo very flexibly, just like human palms. But do you know how many fingers giant pandas have?

In fact, giant pandas have "six fingers"! Strictly speaking, the giant panda's "sixth finger" cannot be called a finger because it has no nails. It is just a movable protrusion, so it is called a "pseudo-thumb."

Don’t underestimate this “pseudo-thumb”; it is the giant panda’s secret weapon for grasping food, and it is very useful.

The "pseudo-thumb" is a specialized sesamoid bone in the wrist, which enables giant pandas to have a gripping function that other bears do not have. When giant pandas eat, they can grasp and eat bamboo more flexibly.

You have to know that this kind of gripping ability is not common in the animal world.

Besides koalas, North American opossums, and most primates, the only other species that eat bamboo are giant pandas and red pandas, and they have a specialized "sixth finger" to hold hands with the other five!

6. Can pandas poop 40 times a day?

Because they eat a lot, they poop a lot! Unlike herbivorous animals such as horses, cows, and sheep, pandas have a very short digestive tract, so food can only stay in the digestive tract for a short time, and the nutrients that can be absorbed are limited.

Most herbivorous animals can digest 80% of the food they eat, but the giant panda can digest less than 17%. The food eaten by ordinary herbivorous animals will stay in their bodies for 24 hours, but the giant panda will excrete feces in 5 to 13 hours. The number of bowel movements in a day can reach an astonishing 40 times!

In order to obtain enough energy, giant pandas eat about 20 kilograms of bamboo every day. If they encounter bamboo shoots that they like, they will eat even more. Generally speaking, giant pandas spend more than 10 hours a day eating. The more they eat, the less they digest, so naturally the more they poop out!

7.How many sounds can giant pandas make? Some of them sound like dogs barking?

Giant pandas can make 19 different sounds. These sounds can be in various complex combinations, with different pitches and tones. Each sound has a specific meaning, and the mixture of different sounds expresses certain emotions. If you listen carefully, you can hear "eight languages": bird calls, calls, cow moos, groans, smacking lips, dog barks, bleating, and screams.

Newly born giant panda cubs will make loud noises to indicate that they are uncomfortable or hungry. The mother panda will respond quickly to the cubs' noises and will respond to their requests.

When a giant panda is frightened or angry, it will make a roaring sound similar to the barking of a dog.

When giant pandas are in a good mood or seeking a mate, they will make bleating sounds similar to those of sheep, which is so adorable.