BBC - Earth - The truth about giant pandas
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Wild pandas are nothing like their captive counterparts. They have a dangerously powerful bite and an intense sex drive
Presented by Henry Nicholls
Reputation: Giant pandas are cute and harmless, with an amusing habit of sneezing. But their insistence on eating bamboo is dumb and they are rubbish at sex, so they deserve to go extinct. Except, of course, those proficient in kung fu.
Reality: They are cute, for sure. But don' pandas can deliver one heck of a bite. Eating bamboo is a blinding evolutionary strategy. They have an intense and productive sex drive. They do not deserve to go extinct.
There is a lot of confusion about giant pandas, possibly more than any other species alive. This is because of the absolutely massive symbolic, political and economic baggage that is heaped on captive pandas. This burden far outweighs what we really know about this species in the wild. Take a deep breath and purge your mind of everything you think you know about giant pandas This division between captive and wild pandas is important. Because the truth about pandas depends on which kind of panda you're talking about.If it's the captive panda you are interested in, then the fluffy, sneezing, clownish, reproductively-inept stereotype stands.But if it's the truth about wild pandas you're after, then you need to shut down the panda-cam, take a deep breath and purge your mind of everything you think you know about giant pandas. Most of it is wrong.
What is undeniably true is that pandas are striking animals. In 1966, the zoologist Desmond Morris put forward 20 factors to explain the human obsession with pandas. About half of them were to do with appearance: flat face, large eyes, soft appearance, rounded outline, contrasting colours and so on. A panda can deliver one of the highest bite forces of any carnivore But appearances can be deceptive and it would be a mistake to get too close to a wild panda.Even in captivity, where pandas are used to being cooed over by humans, they can be dangerous. In 2006, a drunken 28-year-old man by the name of Zhang clambered into the panda enclosure at Beijing Zoo and tried to pet the internee. He'd been showing off to his companion, but all he had to show for his exploits was a right calf savaged beyond recognition. There are photos , but they are very, very ugly. You've been warned.Such injuries are possible because of the giant panda's incredibly chunky skull and Mohican-like sagittal crest. This is the anchor point for a massive chewing muscle that can deliver . The panda needs this impressive bite if it is to crack its way into the tough sheath of a bamboo stem.
The panda also boasts an enlarged radial sesamoid bone or "" to get a grip as it munches, a complex suite of
to help its digestion, and a readiness to spend more than half its life collecting, preparing and eating bamboo.With adaptations like these, the giant panda has performed a remarkable evolutionary switcheroo. It is a carnivore that has found a way to eat bamboo, a food source that is pretty dependable from one season to the next. Even better, unlike the prey of most carnivores, bamboo is not in the habit of running away.But it is on the subject of sex where the reputation of captive pandas is at greatest odds with the reality in the wild.
Giant pandas have a peculiar reproductive cycle, with adult females becoming fertile just once a year for less than two days.With such an unusual arrangement, it is inevitable that pandas struggle to breed in captivity. So humans often intervene, imagining that "panda porn" might spark some randiness, or resorting to rectal probes to trigger an ejaculation. But to smirk at the diminutive size of the male panda's winkie, to mock the female panda for being frigid and to propose the species only has itself to blame for its endangered status is nothing short of biological ignorance.We humans have only been studying giant pandas in the wild since 1980 and we still have so much to learn. But from what we can tell, pandas do sex very, very differently in the wild.
It was the legendary zoologist George Schaller who made some of the first observations of real, wild panda sex. In 1981, he'd been tracking a female called Zhen-Zhen, as were two male pandas & one large, one small. "The small male comes near, moaning, and is promptly attacked again, though I only hear growls, roars, and whines like a pack of dogs fighting and see the bamboo shake violently," he wrote in . This species has been around for some 20 million years It turns out that threesome or more-somes are pretty standard for giant pandas in the wild, an arrangement that would be hard to replicate in any zoo. In just over three hours, Schaller recorded the large male mating with Zhen-Zhen at least 48 times, roughly once every three minutes. This is way more sex than most humans get in a year.This intensity and frequency of sexual congress may account for the observation that pandas are so much more productive in the wild than they are in captivity. A long-term study of radio-collared pandas in the Qingling Mountains in Shaanxi Province revealed that females reliably give birth every other year and 60% of cubs survive to see in their first birthday. "," wrote zoologist Pan Wenshi and his colleagues in 2004.If you are still clinging to the panda-bad-sex stereotype, there is one more truth about pandas that you need to digest. This species, in one shape or form, has been around for some 20 million years. That, boys and girls, is the definition of good at sex.
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All About PandasThe Giant PandaAiluropoda melanoleuca
Giant pandas are black-and-white Chinese bears that are on the verge of extinction.
These large, cuddly-looking mammals have a big head, a heavy body, rounded ears, and a short tail.
The Chinese people call the panda "Da xiong mao," which means "giant bear cat" in Chinese.
The panda is a symbol of peace in China.
This bear is quite different from other bears.
It has unusual cat-like eyes, and its front paws have an opposable &thumb.&
Female pandas are called sows, males are called boars, and the young are called cubs.
Most bears' eyes have round pupils.
The exception is the giant panda, whose pupils are vertical slits, like cats' eyes.
These unusual eyes inspired the Chinese to call the panda the "giant cat bear."
Pandas have very good eyesight.
COLOR
Giant pandas are white with black patches around the eyes, ears, shoulders, chest, legs, and feet.
This black-and-white coloring may camouflage (hide) the panda in the snowy, rocky environment.
The largest pandas grow to be about 250 pounds (115 kg), about the weight of a large adult human. They are about 5.25 to 6 feet (1.6 to 1.8 m) long.
The average adult male panda grows to be about 3 feet (1 m) tall at the shoulder and weighs about 220 pounds (100 kg).
The average adult female panda grows to be about 2.5 feet (80 cm) tall at the shoulder and weighs about 180 pounds (80 kg).
The panda's tail is about 6 inches (16 cm) long.
Adult Giant Panda
Height (at shoulder)
Length
(snout to tail)
180 pounds (80 kg)
2.5 feet (80 cm)
5.25 feet (1.8 m)
220 pounds (100 kg)
3 feet (1 m)
6 feet (1.8 m)
Pandas have the most specialized diet of any of the bears.
Their diet is almost exclusively two species of bamboo (arrow and umbrella bamboo).
Pandas eat about 40 pounds (18 kg) of food each day.
Bamboo is very low in nutrition.
Even though the panda eats this plant, it cannot digest it very well and most of the bamboo passes undigested through the digestive tract.
It has to eat for up to 12 hours every day in order to get enough nourishment. Its throat and stomach have extra-tough linings to protect them from the tough food.
Other problems with a bamboo diet:
These bamboo plants only grow in a few places.
This limits the range of pandas tremendously.
Bamboo species go through periodic die-offs after they flower.
Most plants in an area die-off at the same time (after flowering).
When this happened in the past, pandas would migrate to another area where the bamboo was still flourishing.
With the greatly reduced bamboo forests of today, this option is not always available.
This leads to periodic starvations among giant panda populations.
In captivity (zoos and breeding centers), pandas eat bamboo, rice cereal, carrots, apples, and sweet potatoes.
EATING
Pandas usually eat while sitting in an upright position.
Sitting this way, they can use their front paws to hold their food.
PANDAS' PAWS
Panda front paws are very unusual.
These paws have five clawed fingers plus an extra bone that works like an opposable thumb.
This "thumb" is not really a finger (like our thumb is).
It is really an extra-long wrist bone that works like a thumb.
The panda uses these dextrous paws to grasp its food (bamboo shoots and leaves).
TEETH
Since pandas spend most of their time eating tough, nutrition-poor bamboo, strong teeth and jaws are very important to a panda's survival.
Giant pandas have large molars (flat teeth used for crushing food).
They also have a few sharp teeth which they use to bite tough bamboo stalks.
Pandas have 42 teeth.
They also have strong jaw muscles which they use for chewing tough bamboo.
Pandas have very thick, oily, woolly fur that keeps them warm in their cold, wet mountain habitat.
Their fur is made o there are long, thick, coarse hairs and a shorter, fine, dense underfur.
This fur is waterproof.
DISTRIBUTION
In the wild, giant pandas only live in a few mountain ranges in central and western China, mainly in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces.
Because of habitat destruction, the pandas now live in a series of broken ranges.
This has created six isolated populations that do not interbreed.
HABITAT
The natural habitat of the giant panda is cool, wet, cloudy mountain forest land where bamboo grows.
Giant pandas are found in mixed deciduous/evergreen temperate forests, between 3,000 and 10,500 feet (900-3,200 m) in altitude (below the timberline).
Pandas used to also live at lower altitudes, but farming and land development have pushed the pandas high into the mountains.
NUMBERS
Giant pandas are an endangered species and their numbers are dwindling very quickly as their habitat is destroyed.
There are roughly 1,000-1,500 pandas living in the wild (in China).
There are about 120 living in zoos and breeding centers around the world.
This species is extremely vulnerable to extinction because of humans.
SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
Giant pandas are mostly shy, solitary animals. They live most of their lives alone.
A small group of pandas may share a large feeding territory, usually only meeting to breed.
Scientists don't know very much about the lives of these animals.
VOCALIZING
Giant panda bears are mostly silent, but they can bleat!
They don't roar like other bears, but they do have 11 different calls, four of which are only used during mating.
LIFE SPAN
The giant panda's life span in the wild has not been accurately documented, but Chinese scientists report that some pandas in zoos have lived to be 35 years old.
Hsing-Hsing, who lives in the National Zoo, turned 29 in 1999.
Most animals live longer in captivity than in the wild.
LOCOMOTION
Giant pandas have a rolling gait.
Like people and other bears, giant pandas are flat-footed (plantigrade - that is, both heel and toe touch the ground when walking).
Pandas are good tree climbers, using their short claws to grab onto the bark.
Sometimes they take afternoon naps high in the trees.
Unlike many other bears, pandas cannot walk on their hind legs.
HIBERNATION
Giant pandas do not hibernate since their food is available all year long.
Also, the bamboo they eat is not high enough in nourishment to fatten them up for the winter.
During the cold winter months, giant pandas go to lower altitudes wher they also take shelter in hollow trees or dens. They don't seem to have permanent dens.
REPRODUCTION
Pandas have a very slow reproductive rate which contributes to their declining numbers.
Male and female giant pandas mate in the spring, attracting each other with calls and odors.
Females give birth between 95 and 160 days after mating.
They have their cubs in dens that they dig in the ground.
One or two cubs are born but usually only one survives.
BABY PANDAS
Panda cubs are small, white, blind, furless, and helpless at birth.
Except for marsupials (kangaroos, opossums, etc.), giant panda cubs are the smallest newborn mammals.
They weigh four to six ounces (85-140 g) as newborns.
This is lighter than an apple.
Like newborn human babies, panda cubs cry when they are hungry or need care from their mother.
Their coats take on adult coloring about a month after birth.
Cubs' eyes open at six to seven weeks. They will follow their mother at about three months after birth.
They start eating bamboo at about 6 months old and are weaned from their mother at about 9 months.
Panda cubs grow very slowly.
They stay with their mother for one to two years.
They are fully grown in 2-4 years.
PREDATORS OF PANDAS
Humans are the giant panda's greatest enemy.
Poachers still hunt giant pandas for their pelts, which they sell.
Also, leopards sometimes kill cubs.
THE EVOLUTION OF PANDAS
The giant panda seems to have evolved during the late Pliocene or early Pleistocene, roughly two to three million years ago.
During those times, the giant panda's range extended throughout southern China.
Panda fossils have been found in eastern China (as far north as Beijing) , Burma, and Vietnam.
CLASSIFICATION
The giant panda is considered a true bear (before recent genetic studies, it was thought to be a member of the raccoon family).
It belongs to the:
Kingdom Animalia (the animals)
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata (animals with backbones)
(warm-blooded animals with hair and mammary glands)
Order Carnivora
Family Ursidae (Bears)
Genus and Species: Ailuropoda melanoleuca meaning "cat feet black white"
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Advertisement.BDCAC试题分析：这篇文章讲述了生活在圣地亚哥动物园的大熊猫，为了给它们一个玩耍的机会，人们给它们送来了很多的雪，它们玩的非常高兴。1.细节题。根据文章Over 15 tons of snow was blown into the San Diego Zoo's panda area on Tuesday morning to give the endangered bears a chance to play.可知，为了给熊猫一个玩耍的机会，超过15吨的雪被吹进了圣地亚哥动物园的熊猫区域。故选B2.细节题。根据文章The snow day was a first for Xiao Liwu whose name means &Little Gift.& He was the sixth baby panda born to Bai Yun.可知，Xiao Liwu是由 Bai Yun生的。故选D3.细节题。根据文章可知，生存环境的丧失，很低繁殖率，地球变暖是熊猫数量减少的原因。故选C4.主旨题。这篇文章主要讲的是圣地亚哥动物园的熊猫。所以，Giant pandas in San Diego Zoo最适合做标题。故选A5.细节判断题。根据文章可知，人工繁殖是保护大熊猫非常重要的方法；现在有44只熊猫在国外的动物园；中国是大熊猫唯一的自然栖息地；小礼物不害怕被妈妈扔进雪地里。故选C考点：日常生活类记叙文点评：本文文脉清晰，结构简单。此类判断题文章不长，学生在答题的过程中可以首先对整篇文章进行阅读，理解文章的意思，然后带着问题在文章中找到相对应的答案，即可答出。
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科目：初中英语
题型：阅读理解
According to a new education survey, student safety has become a big problem. Nearly 50 percent of the students say they are worried about robbery on the way to and from school. Now in many big cities in China，some schools have taught an unusual lesson. self-protection；Students like this lesson as there are no exams or boring classes. And they can learn how to save lives and know how to stop danger before it really happens.Chen Haoyu，a teacher at Beijing No. 25 Middle School and a self-protection expert，gives young students advice on how to deal with danger． If you are robbed, keep calm. If you cannot cry for help or run away, give the robber your money, try to remember what the robber looks like and tell the police. If you are in a traffic accident and if you are hurt by a car, take down the car number；if it is a bicycle, try to contact your parents before you let the rider go. This is because you don’t know how seriously you are hurt.Don’t stay in high places and keep away from trees if it is raining hard and there is lightning. Get away as fast as you can when there is a fire．Put wet things on your body and try to find an exit. Do not take the lift!&&&& If someone is drowning and you can’t swim, don’t get into the water. Cry out for help.Remember that danger is never as far away as you think. Take care of yourself at all times!1.Why do students like the self-protection lesson?A.Because there is advice on examsB.Because they can learn how to protect themselvesC.Because they like self-protection expertsD.Because they have lots of exams during the lesson2.The underlined word “contact” means_________A.end upB.wait forC.search forD.get in touch with3.If your house is on fire, you must __________A.put dry things on your bodyB.run quickly and take the liftC.take everything you have and then run awayD.run away and find an exit as quickly as you can4.If you see a child fall into the river and you are not able to swim, you _______A.should telephone the doctorB.can jump into the river and save himC.can do nothingD.should shout for help5.What’s the best title for this passage?A.ProtectionB.Advice on how to deal with dangerC.The popular lessonD.An interesting lesson
科目：初中英语
题型：单选题
This is &&&&&&&&&backpack．A.myB.theC.a my
科目：初中英语
题型：阅读理解
Prana, our beautiful dog whose name means ‘breath of life’, isn’t with us any more. But she brought such joy and love that we still miss her.There are so many wonderful stories about the love in this dog, but my favorite is this one.It was an autumn day in Minnesota, but the weather didn’t know the difference between autumn and winter. Unexpectedly, we were hit with a big snow fall for which no one was prepared.We have two apple trees in our backyard. Prana loved apples. When she went outside, she’d take hold of an apple, put it far back in her mouth, and sneak into the house to save for eating later. The apples had been on the ground and were often dirty so I wasn’t always happy that Prana had brought them into the house. Feeling my displeasure, she would turn her head so I wouldn’t see her hidden treasure.On the day that it snowed too early in the season, Prana went outside and I watched her from the window. I noticed that she was madly digging holes and brought the apples to the surface so they could be seen above the snow. I wondered why she was doing this. She seemed to be completely busy with some kind of important task to dig up as many apples as possible during her yard time.When I called her back into the house, she had her usual one apple in her mouth. About five minutes later, I looked outside. The yard was completely covered with birds. Prana had dug up all those apples for her bird friends to eat. She knew that they wouldn’t have stored enough food to live through such an early winter1.The story about the dog happened _______A.in autumnB.in winterC.in springD.in summer2.What does the underlined phrase sneak into mean in the fourth paragraph?A.enter quicklyB.enter secretlyC.enter happilyD.enter slowly3.Prana was busy digging up the apples in the snow because________A.she liked digging holes and eating applesB.she was always saving the apples for eating laterC.she wanted to leave the apples to her bird friendsD.she loves playing with snow4.From the story we can learn that______A.Prana is helpful to the writerB.Prana is devoted to the writerC.Prana is not only beautiful but also joyfulD.Prana is especially loving and thoughtful
科目：初中英语
题型：阅读理解
Found: watchIs this your watch?Call Cindy at 448-9012.Lost: my yellow ringMy name is Linda.Phone number:202-3506.Found: JacketIs this your jacket?It is a red Jacket.Please call Mona.The telephone number is 678-99211.Cindy found a &&&&&&A.watchB.ringC.jacketD.telephone2.&&&&&&lost a ringA.CindyB.LindaC.MaryD.Mona3.What’s Mona’s telephone number?A.448-9012B.202-3506C.678-9921D.202-90124.What color is the jacket?A.WhiteB.BlueC.YellowD.Red5.Which one is NOT true (正确的)?A.Cindy’s telephone number is 448-9012B.Linda’s telephone number is 202-3506C.Mona lost a jacketD.The ring is yellow
科目：初中英语
题型：阅读理解
This is a teacher’s family. The father’s name is Lake Smith. He is forty-four. The mother’s name is Kate Smith. She’s forty-two. The Smiths have a son, Jim, and a daughter, Ann. Jim is fourteen, and Ann is twelve. The son looks like（看起来像） his father, and the daughter looks like her mother. They are all in No.4 Middle School here. But the Smiths are teachers, the son and daughter are students1.Jim’s father is _________A.a workerB.a teacherC.a doctorD.a driver2.Ann’s mother’s name is ___________A.Lake SmithB.Kate SmithC.Jim SmithD.Ann Smith3.Jim looks like his__________A.fatherB.motherC.auntD.uncle4.Are Jim and Ann in the same(相同的) school?A.They are in the same school?B.They are in different schoolsC.Yes, they areD.No, they aren’t5.Is Kate Smith a teacher?A.Yes, it isB.Yes, she isC.No, she isn’tD.No, he isn’t
科目：初中英语
题型：阅读理解
Have you ever been ill? When you are ill, you must be unhappy because your body becomes hot, and there are pains all over your body. You don’t want to work, and you stay in bed, feeling very sad.What makes us ill? It is germs(细菌). Germs are everywhere. They are very small and you can’t find them with your eyes, but you can see them with a mi?croscope(显微镜). They are very very small and there could be hundreds of them on a very small thing.Germs are always found in dirty water. When we look at dirty water under the microscope, we shall see them in it. So your father and mother will not let you drink dirty water.Germs can be found not only in water but also in air and dust(灰尘). If you cut your finger, if some of the dust from the floor goes into the cut(割开处), some of the germs would go into your finger. Your finger would become big and red, and you will have much pain in it. Sometimes the germs would go into all of your body, and you would have pain everywhere1.Which of the following is true?A.If things are very very small, they are germsB.If things can’t be seen, they must be germsC.Germs are only in dirty waterD.Germs are everywhere around us2.Why don’t your parents let you drink dirty water?A.You haven’t looked at it carefullyB.Water can’t be drunk in this wayC.There must be lots of germs in itD.Water will make you ill3.What’s the main idea of the passage?A.Germs may make us illB.Germs are in dirty waterC.Don’t drink dirty waterD.Take care of your fingers
科目：初中英语
题型：阅读理解
Mary is from the U.S.A. She has two brothers. Now her family are in China. Her father, Mr. Peterson teaches English in Xihu Middle School. And her mother works in the same school. She teaches English, too. Mary likes red clothes very much. Her mother likes red clothes a lot, too. Mary is a nice girl student. She is in Xihu Middle School .She can speak Chinese. She has many Chinese friends. She teaches them English, and they teach her Chinese. Her two brothers are twins. One is Bob, the other is Bill. They look the same. They are only three. So their grandparents look after(照顾) them at home. Mrs. Peterson has many toys(玩具) for the twins. Bob likes toy cars, but Bill likes toy bears. They are happy every day1.Who is in Xihu Middle school ?A.Mr. PetersonB.Mrs. PetersonC.Mrs. Peterson and Mr. PetersonD.Mrs. Peterson, Mr. Peterson and Mary2.Mr. Peterson is a ______.A.teacherB.farmerC.officerD.doctor3.How many people are there in Mary’s family?A.fourB.fiveC.sixD.seven4.Mary______.A.can’t speak Chinese at allB.isn’t very niceC.can speak Chinese wellD.likes red clothes5.Which one is NOT right?A.Mary’s family is from AmericaB.Mary’s parents are both teachersC.Mary has two twin sistersD.Mary’s grandparents are in China
科目：初中英语
题型：阅读理解
If you get lost, this is what you should do. Sit down and stay where you are. Don’t try to find your friends—let them find you. You can help them find you by staying in one place. There is another way to help your friends or other people to find you. You can shout or whistle （吹口哨）three times. Stop. Then shout or whistle three times again. Any signal（信号）for three times is a call for help.Keep up shouting or whistling. Always three times together. When people hear you, they will know that you are not just making a noise for fun. They will let you know that they have heard your signal. They will give you two shouts or two whistles. When a signal is given twice, it is an answer to a call for help.If you don’t think that you will get help before night comes, try to make a little house with branches（树枝. Make yourself a bed with leaves and grass.When you need some water, you have to leave your little branch house to look for it. Don’t just walk away. Pick off small branches and drop them as you walk in order to go back again easily. When you are lost, the most important thing to do is to stay in one place1.If you get lost in the forest, you should______.A.try to find your friendsB.stay in one place and give signalsC.walk around the forestD.shout as loudly as possible2.Which signal is a call for help?A.shouting here and thereB.shouting or whistling three times togetherC.crying twiceD.whistling every where in the forest3.When you hear two shouts or two whistles, you know that______.A.someone is afraid of an animalB.people will come to help youC.someone needs helpD.something terrible will happen4.What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence?(划线句子)A.Drop branches to find your way backB.Pick off branches to build another houseC.Use branches to make a bedD.Drop branches to look for water5.The main（主要的）idea of the passage is______.A.how to travel in the forestB.how to spend the night in the forestC.what you should do if you want to get some waterD.what you should do if you are lost in the forest