Giant Panda
...gh price in illegal markets in the Far East. The Chinese government has imposed life sentences for those convicted of poaching giant pandas. The low reproductive capacity of the giant panda makes it more vulnerable to these threats, and less capable of rebounding from its low numbers. k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k kThe giant panda has unique front paws -- one of the wrist bones is enlarged and elongated and is used like a thumb, enabling the giant panda to grasp stalks of bamboo. They also have very powerful jaws and teeth to crush bamboo. While bamboo stalks and roots make up about 95 percent of its diet, the giant panda also feeds on gentians, irises, crocuses, fish, and occasionally small rodents. It must eat 20 to 40 pounds of food each day to survive, and spends 10 to 16 hours a day feeding. The giant panda reaches breeding maturity between four and ten years of age. Mating usually takes ...