Giant pandas are selective about their bamboo, but it is for a good reason. They have adapted to eat bamboo despite their carnivorous digestive system, so they need to make sure that the pieces they are consuming are giving them more energy than they are expending. They fully digest about 30 percent of the bamboo … Continue reading "Panda Updates – Monday, August 5"
Do you ever wonder why pandas eat bamboo/choose bamboo even though their tummy's are made to digest meat? New panda research suggests its because they are smelling for starch or protein content (Giant Pandas made the switch to bamboo most likely evolutionary to compete less with other carnivores in the wild - when bamboo was extensively available). Recent research argues that giant pandas, like other carnivores, get most of their energy from protein. This would explain why they have the digestive system of a carnivore, and why their ancestors’ transitioning to a bamboo-based diet isn’t as far-fetched as previously believed (bamboo has a decent amount of protein for being a grass).
Article cited: Sponheimer, M, et al. “Dietary Evolution: The Panda Paradox.” Current Biology, Cell Press, 3 June 2019.
Lets TALK! There is also research out there suggesting why mating is so difficult in captivity, why giant panda babies are so reckless with heights and falling, and many other cool articles/research out there. Don’t get me started!
