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The
Giant Panda
The Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca, literally meaning cat-foot,
black-and-white) is a mammal native to central-western and south-western
China. The Giant Panda is a true member of the Ursidae (bear) family.
The Giant Panda's closest ursine relative is the Spectacled Bear of
South America. The Giant Panda has been referred to as a living fossil.
Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the Giant Panda's diet is
99% bamboo. The other parts of its diet include honey, eggs, fish, yams,
shrub leaves, oranges, and bananas when available.
The
Giant Panda lives in a few mountain ranges in central China, mainly
in Sichuan province, but also in the Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. The
Giant Panda is an endangered species, threatened by continued habitat
loss and by a very low birthrate, both in the wild and in captivity.
The Giant Panda is among the world's most adored and protected rare
animals, and is one of the few in the world whose natural inhabitant
status was able to gain a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation.
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