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Giant panda
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SO rare is the giant panda (大熊猫) that today there are thought to be only about 1,100 individuals in the entire world. It is listed as an endangered species and has been seen in the wild only in the mountains of China.
The giant panda is about 1.2 to 1.5 m long from the tip of its nose to its rump, and it has a stubby (短而粗的) tail. Adults weigh about 75 to 160 km. They have a thick, woolly, white coat with black fur on the legs and ears. The animals are distinguished by black eye patches and a black band across the shoulders.
Giant pandas usually live alone in bamboo forests. They are mainly ground dwellers, using caves, hollow trees, or rock crevices for shelter, but they can climb trees as well. The giant panda feeds chiefly on bamboo shoots and roots, grasping the slender stems with the aid of a special thumblike structure on its front feet. Because they sometimes eat small animals, they are classed as carnivores (食肉动物).
The breeding season of the giant panda extends from March to May. One or two cubs are born each year. They leave the mother at about six months of age and reach sexual maturity after six or seven years.(SD-Agencies)
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