panda

/pan"deuh/, n.

1. Also called giant panda. a white-and-black, bearlike mammal, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, now rare and restricted to forest areas of central China containing stands of bamboo, on which it mainly subsists: formerly placed with the raccoon family but now classified as a bear subfamily, Ailuropodinae, or as the sole member of a separate family, Ailuropodidae, which diverged from an ancestral bear lineage.

2. Also called lesser panda. a reddish-brown, raccoonlike mammal, Ailurus fulgens, of mountain forests in the Himalayas and adjacent eastern Asia, subsisting mainly on bamboo and other vegetation, fruits, and insects, and reduced in numbers by collectors: now considered unrelated to the giant panda and usually classified as the sole member of an Old World raccoon subfamily, Ailurinae, which diverged from an ancestral lineage that also gave rise to the New World raccoons.

[1825-35; < F (Cuvier), a name for the lesser panda, perh. < a Tibeto-Burman language of the southeastern Himalayas]

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or giant panda

Species (Ailuropoda melanoleuca, family Ursidae) of white-and-black forest-dwelling carnivore, found in west-central China, that subsists almost exclusively on bamboo.

Because they cannot digest cellulose, wild pandas (of which there are about 1,000) spend 10–12 or more hours a day eating up to 66 lb (30 kg) of bamboo leaves, stems, and shoots to obtain needed nutrients. About 100 individuals live in captivity, mostly in China. Giant pandas grow to 5 ft (1.5 m) long or more and weigh over 200 lb (100 kg). They live alone except when breeding. Because they have a slow reproductive cycle, they are difficult to breed in captivity.

Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

Tom McHugh

Photo Researchers

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▪ Ailurus fulgens

also called  lesser panda,  cat bear,  bear cat , or  red bear cat 

 reddish brown, long-tailed, raccoonlike mammal, about the size of a large cat, that is found in the mountain forests of the Himalayas and adjacent areas of eastern Asia and subsists mainly on bamboo and other vegetation, fruits, and insects. Once classified as a relative of the giant panda, it is now usually classified as the sole member of the subfamily Ailurinae in the raccoon family, Procyonidae.

      The lesser panda has soft, thick fur—rich reddish brown above and black underneath. The face is white, with a stripe of red-brown from each eye to the corners of the mouth; and the bushy tail is faintly ringed. The head and body length of the lesser panda is 50–65 cm (20–26 inches); the tail is 30–50 cm (12–20 inches) long; and the weight ranges from 3 to 4.5 kg (6.5 to 10 pounds). The feet have hairy soles, and the claws are semiretractile.

      The lesser panda lives high in the mountains among rocks and trees and climbs with agility (though its tail is not prehensile). It seems to do most of its feeding on the ground. It is nocturnal and may live alone, in pairs, or in family groups. The litters generally contain one or two young that are born in spring after a gestation period of about 130 days. The animal is gentle and easily tamed but usually resents being handled. It is a very popular zoo animal and is frequently involved in the animal trade.

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