March 16: National Panda Day

Today we celebrate one of the world’s most treasured, beloved and endangered species — it’s National Panda Day!

The Giant Panda lives in remote, mountainous regions of China. While their black and white coloring may perplex some, wondering how it could be considered camouflage, the white actually helps them hide in snowy habitats.

These fluffy, cuddly looking bears are at high risk of extinction, with a reported less than 2,000 living in the wild. One of the main reasons for the rapid decline is their incredibly small birth rate. Female pandas are actually only fertile two to three days of the whole YEAR. So, that’s why when there’s successful mating in captivity, it’s such a big deal.

Pandas are critical parts of the ecosystem, spreading seeds and helping grow new vegetation, and helps preserve the natural habitats of other animals. Preserving the land in which pandas live is also critical — as pandas’ diets consist of 99% bamboo. When the World Wide Fund for Nature was formed in 1961, their logo was created with the Panda to help support and call out the critical point of endangerment with this species.

Here are some fun panda facts:

• Pandas eat for 10–16 hours per day, eating! Sounds like my kind of animal!
• What goes in, however, must come out…. Pandas poo about 40 times a day
• They like to mark their territory — they might even climb a tree backwards (essentially, handstand) and pee so that they can leave their scent higher up a tree.
• Their eyes are like cats — with vertical slits for pupils
• They have enlarged wrist bones which acts like an opposable thumb to help them eat food.

On this day, support important wildlife organizations that help preserve this beautiful adorable creature.

Happy Holiday everyone, and I’ll see you tomorrow.