What do giant pandas eat?
Quick answer
Wild giant pandas eat almost nothing but bamboo, which makes up about 99% of their diet. Because bamboo is low in nutrients, a panda eats roughly 12–38 kg (26–84 lb) a day and spends up to 14 hours feeding. Occasionally they eat small animals or carrion. They live in mountain forests of central China.
Key facts
- Scientific name
- Ailuropoda melanoleuca
- Diet
- About 99% bamboo
- Wild population
- About 1,860 adults (2014 census)
- Status
- Vulnerable (IUCN, since 2016)
A bear that eats plants
Giant pandas are bears, and their digestive system is still built like a meat-eater’s. They lack the long gut and special bacteria that cows use to break down plant fiber, so they digest only about 20% of the bamboo they eat. To survive, they eat huge amounts and move as little as possible.
Built for bamboo
| Adaptation | How it helps |
|---|---|
| “False thumb” | An enlarged wrist bone that works like a thumb for gripping stalks |
| Strong jaws and molars | Crush tough stems |
| Low energy use | They’re relatively inactive to save energy |
They switch between bamboo leaves, stems and shoots depending on the season and which parts are most nutritious.
Where pandas live
Wild pandas live only in the mountain bamboo forests of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces in China, usually between about 1,200 and 3,400 m above sea level. When bamboo species flower, they die off across large areas, so pandas need forests with several bamboo species to survive.
Back from the brink
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1980s | Wild numbers fall to about 1,100 |
| 2014 | Survey finds about 1,864 wild pandas |
| 2016 | IUCN downgrades pandas from endangered to vulnerable |
| 2021 | Giant Panda National Park formally created in China |
Habitat protection and reconnecting forests drove the recovery.
The red panda
The red panda also eats mostly bamboo and has a similar false thumb, but it isn’t closely related. It belongs to its own family and is closer to raccoons and weasels.
Panda facts
- Newborn pandas weigh about 100–200 g, around 1/900 of their mother’s weight.
- Pandas are solitary and communicate with scent marks and calls.
For another plant-eating specialist, see which animal has fingerprints like humans, about eucalyptus-eating koalas.
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