Pandas originally live in southwest China. At birth, a panda is smaller than a mouse and weighs about four ounces.

Because of the giant panda's large size and the small size of their offspring, it is difficult to tell when a panda is pregnant.

For more than 100 years, the scientific argument has persisted as to whether giant pandas belong to the bear family, the raccoon family, or a separate family of their own. the giant panda and its cousin, the lesser or red panda, share many characteristics with both bears and raccoons, Recent DNA analysis shows that giant pandas are more closely related to bears; red pandas are more closely related to raccoons.

Pandas spend about 12 hours a day eating bamboo. In that time they consume 66 pounds of bamboo, about one third of its bodyweight.

There are fewer than 1,000 giant pandas left alive in the world.