All About Pandas Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sichuan

Pandas are found mostly in the mountainous south-western province of Sichuan, particularly in the Sichuan Basin (source - http://www.china.org.cn/english/2001/Sep/18737.htm). Pandas can also be found in the nearby provinces of Gansu and Shaanxi, and it is believed that pandas were also once found in Myanmar (Burma) and North Vietnam (source - http://www.worldwildlife.org/pandas/nat_hist.cfml)

Answer: False

Although most people think that the pandas have opposable thumbs as we do, the "thumb" was found to actually be an elongated wrist bone. (sources - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thumb and http://www.athro.com/evo/pthumb.html)

Answer: True

The digestive system of a panda is in fact very similar to that of a carnivore so a lot of the bamboo's nutrition is lost as waste. This means that the panda must eat a large amount of bamboo a day -between 20 and 40 pounds of it each day - in order to get all the nutrition it needs.

Answer: One cub every two to three years

The average for a female panda living in the wild is actually just one panda cub every two to three years. Two pandas every two years is a possibility, but twins are somewhat rarer. Even in captivity, a female panda is likely to produce just one cub every two years. (http://www.worldwildlife.org/pandas/reproduction.cfml)

Answer: No

Pandas do not hibernate. As bamboo is a year-round plant, there is a plentiful supply of nutrition and this prevents the need for hibernation. (See http://www.thebigzoo.com/Animals/Giant_Panda.asp for more information on why pandas do not hibernate)

Answer: Ears

Pandas are white except for their limbs, the region around their eyes, their noses and their ears. Their eyes and claws are black. There is a very cute little story about the origin of the panda's colouring that can be found on the Chinese WWF's website.

Answer: 11

Apparently 11 different calls have been identified in the wild, although scientists have yet to determine their individual functions. (taken from http://www.bearbiology.com/gpdesc.html)

Answer: Wolong Nature Reserve

The leading reserve in China for panda breeding and protection is the Wolong Nature Reserve in Sichuan and is primarily run by scientists and researchers from the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda. Wolong also receives funding and support from the WWF.

Answer: They are solitary animals

Pandas are by nature solitary creatures and, with the exception of spending its first two years with its mother, pandas will normally only seek out company during the mating season.

Answer: Raccoon

The red panda looks very different from the giant panda and in fact resembles a raccoon. Like its "big cousin", the red panda eats bamboo and is also found in mountainous bamboo forests. It is also a rare and endangered species and can be found in Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar, as well as China. You can read more about red pandas at http://www.animalinfo.org/species/carnivor/ailufulg.htm