Panda bears: they’re big, cuddly, and lovable, found on the mountaintops of Chinese terrain, and have inhabited the earth for over two million years. While many know of the panda’s association with bamboo, the extent to which the panda relies on it is surly neglected. Despite its classification as an omnivore, approximately 99% of the panda’s diet consists of bamboo. This is mostly due to the fact that they lack umami taste receptors, inhibiting gustation of meats. In addition, the panda spends over half its life collecting, preparing, and eating bamboo. It is thus safe to argue that one of the panda’s favorite hobbies is eating!

Although seemingly lax and mellow, the panda is a bear nonetheless. Moreover, it is no surprise that among all carnivores, pandas have one of the greatest bite forces. Also, like other bears, pandas are extremely protective over their cubs. Thus, despite the panda’s overall docile temperament, one must respect the fluffy-looking bear during observation, especially if its cubs are nearby.

Interestingly, pandas are one of the most solitary of animals. For the most part, they meander through the mountains alone, unless accompanied by their cubs. Sadly though, there are few panda bears left in the world- just over 1000. Fortunately, this fact is acknowledged by scientists, who are hoping to increase the panda population to 5000 by the year 2025. Hopefully, the reproduction of panda bears is successful and they stick around for a while longer. I mean, who doesn’t love a big, cuddly panda bear after all.