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giant panda
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giant panda World map showing the geographic ranges of the eight bear species, each marked in a different color. The American black bear is found across much of North America, the polar bear in Arctic regions, the brown bear across northern North America, Europe, and Asia, and the spectacled bear in a small area of northwestern South America. In Asia, the Asiatic black bear, sloth bear, sun bear, and giant panda have distinct, mostly non-overlapping ranges in the eastern and southern parts of the continent. Illustration of a giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) sitting and eating bamboo, with its distinctive black and white fur and a bamboo stalk held in one paw. A scale bar below indicates size measurements. giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) giant panda A giant panda rests with its head and arms draped over wooden logs at the Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center in Sichuan, China. A giant panda cub, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, lies draped over a tree branch with its eyes closed, appearing to sleep. Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) feeding in a bamboo forest, Szechwan province, China. Panda logo for the Switzerland-based World Wildlife Fund (World Wide Fund for Nature).
View a discussion on efforts to save the endangered giant panda at the National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C.
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Giant panda
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giant panda
giant panda Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) feeding in a bamboo forest, Sichuan (Szechwan) province, China.

giant panda

mammal
Also known as: Ailuropoda melanoleuca, panda bear
Written by
Donald G. Lindburg
Head, Office of Giant Panda Conservation, Zoological Society of San Diego, California, U.S. Coordinator, American Zoo and Aquarium Association's Giant Panda Species Survival Plan.
Donald G. Lindburg
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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giant panda, (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), bear with striking black-and-white coloration inhabiting bamboo forests in the mountains of central China. Its coloration, combined with a bulky body and round face, gives it a captivating appearance that has endeared it to people worldwide. According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, fewer than 1,900 pandas are thought to remain in the wild. Large males may attain 1.8 metres (6 feet) in length and weigh more than 100...

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