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The National Zoo, which has about 3 million visitors a year, is celebrating its famous animal family. During April, many special events will take place at the Giant Panda Habitat. Visitors can view films and take photos with panda-costumed characters. Visitors can also talk to special panda interpreters, who promise "to answer questions about all things panda."
The National Zoo's giant panda parents, Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) and Tian Tian (t-YEN t-YEN), are on loan from China. Their male cub, Tai Shan (tie-SHON), is almost 2 years old. Zoo scientists hope Mei Xiang will have another cub this year.
The pandas have black fur on their eyes, ears, shoulders, and legs. The rest of their thick, woolly coat is white. Mei Xiang is a female whose name means "beautiful fragrance." She weighs about 240 pounds. The adult male, Tian Tian ("more and more"), weighs nearly 280 pounds. Tai Shan ("peaceful mountain") weighed less than a pound when he was born. Now he tops 100 pounds.
The giant black-and-white bears are very rare in the wild. They live only in forests in the mountains of central China. Experts say just 1,600 pandas live outside zoos and animal research centers. Giant pandas are endangered, in part because human activities such as farming and logging destroy their wild habitat.
Occasional shortages of bamboo also threaten the bears' survival. That plant makes up almost all of the pandas' diet. They eat a lot of bamboo—20 to 40 pounds each day! Giant pandas have large teeth and strong jaws to crush the tough shoots. Pandas spend up to 16 hours a day foraging and eating. The rest of the time, they sleep and rest.
At the National Zoo, the giant pandas live in an area that mimics their natural habitat. There are rocks and trees that are perfect for climbing. Shrubs give shade, and pools and streams provide cool water. Animal keepers care for the pandas. Besides feeding the bears and making sure they are healthy, the keepers exercise and train the pandas.
Keeper Laurie Perry says the zoo's giant pandas are "the most amazing animals! There is so much that we have to learn about them, so every day is exciting."
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Links
- Visit the National Zoo Web site to learn more about the giant pandas and the special Panda Month events. You can also download an Activity Guide for kids.
- View panda videos, do panda puzzles, and send panda postcards at the Animal Planet feature "Meet the Pandas."
- These maps show where giant pandas live in China today and where they once used to roam.
- Test your panda smarts by clicking here!
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