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[animalhero-jamie-blog]

#PANDAFUNFACTS : Adult pandas don't spend much time in trees, but panda cubs do.

I JUST CANT RESIST THEIR CUTENESS!!!

From: WILD INSIDE THE NATIONAL ZOO: Bao Bao's First Year

[animalhero-jamie-blog]

#PANDAFUNFACTS : “ HANG IN THERE! :) “

Pandas will begin to climb the trees at very young age (before their first birthday). 

They will become proficient in time. 

[animalhero-jamie-blog]

#PANDASFUNDAILY! ADMIT IT, EVERY GIRL TRIED THIS. AT LEAST I DID. LOLLLLLLLLLLL

[animalhero-jamie-blog]

GOSHHHHHH THEY'RE JUST SO CUTE!!!!!

[animalhero-jamie-blog]

#PANDAFUNFACTS: PANDA DIET!

Bamboo represents 99% of panda's diet. Panda spends 14-16 hours per day in eating.

Panda can peel and eat bamboo stick in 40 seconds. They sit during the meal. (I've always wonder why! LOL)

[animalhero-jamie-blog]

HAVE YOU HEARD THIS ? #PANDAFUNFACTS

Panda is a symbol of peace in China. During the battles in the past, Chinese would raise a flags with panda if they wanted to call a truce or to stop a battle.

Panda is also a symbol of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), international agency that works on the protection of endangered animals.

Ref: http://www.softschools.com/facts/animals

[animalhero-jamie-blog]

PANDADOG SPOTTED: PANDA OR DOG?

The Panda Dog was invented by Kensuke Hirakawa after adopting an abandoned Maltese cross Poodle, called Colombo, who was apparently abandoned because of his ugly looks. The unfortunate dog had all its canine teeth removed, a stiff hind leg and tear stained eyes. 

Having been a beautician and a former pet store owner, Mr Hirakawa decided to beautify his newly found friend. He used puppy safe hair dye to make Colombo look like the cuddly endangered Panda Bear. The result was overwhelming, with a massive and diverse response from the community. Since Colombo was white, the owner simply hair dyed black circles around the eyes, the ears, hind and front legs and strips across the pooch's back. 

The Panda Dog look turned famous overnight. :3 Source: 9 Strangely Colored Animals http://www.oddee.com/item_97317.aspx

[animalhero-jamie-blog]

BORN BROWN.

something in the environment might be affecting pigmentation genes, not just in pandas, but in other animals in the region (it is also home to brown subspecies of other mammals e.g. the golden takin). It has been posited that they are a whole new subspecies of Panda as they have several other differences from other populations of Giant Panda including smaller skulls and larger molar teeth.

A black-to-brown colour-change effect has been identified in other mammals including some domestic cat breeds and is caused by the Extension gene (symbol E) or "red factor" which controls the production of red and black pigment. The dominant allele E produces normal black pigment in the coat while the recessive allele e produces red pigment. The Extension gene is responsible for the bay (red-brown body with black extremities) colouration in horses.

Each animal has two versions (alleles) of each of its genes. One version is inherited from the mother and the other is inherited from the father. One of those alleles tends to be dominant (is expressed in the offspring) while the other is recessive (only expressed if the dominant allele is absent). 

The gene has mutated and produced a recessive allele for the brown colour. Pandas that inherit only one allele from brown fur will look like normal black pandas, but can still pass on the brown allele to their offspring. Pandas that inherit two alleles for brown fur, one from each parent, will have brown fur instead of black.

Because recessive genes are normally hidden, the occurrence of brown pandas indicates inbreeding (closely related animals breeding together). So while the new colour is an exciting find, the inbreeding may have adverse effects on the animals' fertility, immune system and health. 

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

Qiu-Hong Wan, Hua Wu, and Sheng-Guo Fang. "A New Subspecies Of Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) From Shaanxi, China" Journal of Mammalogy. 86, 397-402 (2005).

Zhang, B et al. "Genetic Viability and Population History of the Giant Panda, Putting an End to the 'Evolutionary Dead End'?" Molecular Biology and Evolution. 24, 1801-1810 (2007).

Li, R et al. Nature advance online publication doi:10.1038/nature08696 (2009).