Because who doesn't want to know more about the most adorable animals on the planet?
Pandas have huge growth spurts
Pandas grow from tiny to massive in a few short years. Pink, blind, and hairless, panda infants weigh just three to five ounces and have been compared in size to a stick of butter. But within a year, pandas tip the scales at around 100 pounds; fully mature pandas can be up to six feet long and reach 350 pounds.
Pandas eat a lot of bamboo
We can’t talk about panda facts without mentioning their love of bamboo. Giant pandas are technically carnivores, but their diets consist nearly exclusively of bamboo. Because the plant lacks much nutritional value, pandas eat up to 85 pounds of bamboo a day to maintain their energy levels and can scarf down a shoot in about 40 seconds.
Pandas have six fingers on each paw
Unlike other members of the bear family that have little or no dexterity in their paws, pandas have opposable “thumbs,” along with five other fingers, that help them hold bamboo and remove the plant’s stems and leaves before eating.
Pandas are native to China
These cuddly creatures are found in central China, specifically in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces. According to the panda facts from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, they once lived in lowlands but had to relocate to bamboo forests in the mountains because of farming and forest clearing.
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