The Penultimate

Animals

This week (the second to last!) we  are doing a post on animals.( Click here for a list on important things to include in your post.)
I decided to do mine on pandas, which are my favourite, and how they are endangered.

All About Them

There are two species of panda, the Red Panda and the Giant Panda. Both species are native to Asia, but live in different areas. The Giant Panda lives I only in isolated bamboo forests in China while the red lives there, as well as Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. 
Some think their names comes from the Nepalese word "ponya" which means "bamboo". There is surprisingly quite a bit of difference between the two species.

The Giant Panda

The Red Panda

 

 

 

 

The Giant Panda

 

The giant panda is part of the bear family, and is known to be the most gentle out of it's relatives. It is a herbivore, and can eat up to  nearly 80 pounds (36.4 kg) of bamboo each day, as this is their main diet, but they have also been known to eat things like honey, eggs, fish, and fruits like oranges and bananas, and when food is scarce, small rodents and other animals. The giant panda spends up to 16 hours of it day eating. It's  average height is usually between five - six feet high which is roughly the height of an average human. There average weight is more than 200 pounds which is around 91 kg. They are a big aspect in Chinese culture.

The Red Panda

Red pandas are actually not bears, they are something between a fox and a cat. It's diet is similar to a giant panda, mainly consisting of bamboo, but also  berries, mushrooms, acorns, and a different grasses. 

 

Their average height is roughly 24 inches (61 cm), and at their heaviest they weigh in around 13 pounds (5.9kg), so they are significantly smaller than the giant panda.

 

 

 

Why They Are Endangered

Red pandas are classified as 'vulnerable' and there around 10,000 in the wild. The main threats are considered to be habitat loss and trapping. Humans keep on transforming there natural habitat  for there own purposes, which gives them less space, and leaves them unable to migrate. Red pandas are also trapped and killed in traps meant for other animals that were set for hunting.

In some rare cases, red pandas are hunted for their fur, which gets transformed into clothing. They also have a low birth rate.

 

Giant pandas are endangered for much the same reasons, habitat loss and low birth rate. Giant pandas are picky when it comes to mating, and often they only litter one to two cubs, which find it hard to survive in the wild, as they are only four to eight ounces.

 

 

I think this is a cruel way to treat such amazing, and culturally significant animals. What did they ever do to us? Please help raise awareness by spreading the word, either through your blogs or tell your friends, and hopefully we can save the pandas from a horrific fate.