Panda Bear Buddha (Animal Collection)

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This one is so adorable how could you not LOVE it? Giant pandas are native bears in China, where they are cherished as a national treasure. Despite their esteemed status, giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) populations are vulnerable: fewer than 1,900 live in the wild, according to the Smithsonian National Zoo. Approximately 300 live in zoos worldwide. Size, habitat and diet For many years, scientists questioned whether pandas were a type of bear, raccoon or something entirely unique. But numerous genetic studies have clearly established that pandas are indeed a type of bear, according to the San Diego Zoo. Also referred to as great pandas, parti-colored bears, bamboo bears and white bears, giant pandas are distinguished from other pandas by their large size and striking black-and-white coloring. Their bold coloring provides camouflage – giant pandas are nearly invisible in dense patches of bamboo, according to the Smithsonian National Zoo. Giant pandas grow to be 27 to 32 inches (70 - 80 centimeters) tall at the shoulder, 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 meters) long and can weigh up to 275 lbs. (125 kilograms), according to the San Diego Zoo. Their size is comparable to that of an American black bear. In contrast, the giant panda's distant relative, the red panda, stands at only 20 to 26 inches (50 to 65 cm) tall and weighs 10 to 20 lbs. (4.5 to 9 kg). In their natural habitat, giant pandas are found exclusively in the remote, mountainous regions of central China, in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, according to the National Zoo. Within this area, at elevations between 5,000 and 10,000 feet (1,524 - 3,048 m), lie the cool, wet bamboo forests that giant pandas call home. The large bears construct their dens from hollowed-out logs or stumps of conifer trees found within the forest. A giant panda's insatiable appetite for bamboo is a remarkable aspect of its behavior. They consume bamboo for 12 hours each day, which amounts to an astonishing 28 lbs. (12.5 kg) of bamboo per day, according to National Geographic. Giant pandas possess a special bone that extends from their wrists called a "pseudo-thumb," according to the San Diego Zoo. They utilize their pseudo-thumb to grasp and manipulate the bamboo.