- Hezbollah chief admits 'unprecedented' blow in device blasts
- Sales of US existing homes slip slightly in August
- Fear, panic haunt Lebanese after devices explode
- Labuschagne sparks Australia fightback in England ODI opener
- S.Africa's HIV research power couple says fight goes on
- Why is Israel focusing on border with Lebanon?
- Mpox vaccines administered in Rwanda, first in Africa
- US Fed rate cut is 'very positive sign' for economy: Yellen
- Unknown Mozart string trio discovered in Germany
- 'Are we five-year-olds?' F1 drivers won't mind their language
- Brazil judge orders X to reimpose block or face hefty fine
- Munich to rename stadium street after Beckenbauer
- Champions Italy to face Argentina in Davis Cup Final 8
- The winding, fitful path to weight loss drug Ozempic
- Italians defeat American Magic to reach Louis Vuitton Cup final
- Norris has 'nothing to lose' as he hunts Verstappen in Singapore
- Kyiv 'outraged' at Swiss showing of Russian war film
- French city renames Abbe Pierre square after abuse claims
- Footballer charged after huge cannabis seizure at UK airport
- Vatican recognises Medjugorje shrine, but not Virgin's messages
- Bank of England freezes rate after jumbo US cut
- Playing Nadal is 'kind of a nightmare', says Alcaraz
- Portugal tackles last of deadly northern forest fires
- Ton-up Ashwin lifts India to 339-6 against Bangladesh
- Departing NATO chief warns US against 'isolationism'
- Coming winter 'sternest test yet' for Ukraine energy grid
- Evacuations as tail of Storm Boris floods northeast Italy
- Lebanon's Hezbollah reeling after second wave of deadly blasts
- Taiwan recognises same-sex marriages between Chinese, Taiwanese
- Stock markets rally after jumbo US rate cut
- Gabon's ousted leader Bongo says renouncing politics for good
- Lebanon device blasts: what we know about deadly attacks
- Late Harrods owner Al-Fayed accused of rape: BBC
- Hong Kong man sentenced 14 months for wearing 'seditious' T-shirt
- Lebanon's Hezbollah in disarray after second wave of deadly blasts
- Meta and Spotify blast EU decisions on AI
- Hasan takes three as Bangladesh rattle India in first Test
- Two killed during police operation in New Caledonia
- Flood-hit region leaders to meet in Poland to discuss EU aid
- Sri Lanka to vote in first poll since economic collapse
- Hong Kong probe finds Cathay Airbus defect could cause 'extensive' damage
- AI development cannot be left to market whim, UN experts warn
- All Blacks primed for 'hell' of a Wallabies clash
- Zoom fatigue? Try some nature in your background: study
- Japan walkie-talkie maker says investigating after Lebanon blasts
- Slipper to become most-capped Wallaby in All Blacks clash
- Tokyo surges on weak yen as Asian traders cheer big US rate cut
- Vast France building project sunk by sea level rise fears
- UK campaigners in green energy standoff reject 'nimby' label
- Rainbow warriors: Three things to watch at cycling world championships
BCC | 3.88% | 142.595 | $ | |
CMSD | 0.12% | 25.01 | $ | |
BCE | -0.42% | 35.46 | $ | |
RIO | 3.57% | 65.24 | $ | |
RBGPF | 5.79% | 60.5 | $ | |
NGG | -2.09% | 68.615 | $ | |
SCS | -6.97% | 13.19 | $ | |
CMSC | -0.18% | 25.01 | $ | |
RYCEF | 5.35% | 6.92 | $ | |
RELX | 1.26% | 47.975 | $ | |
JRI | -0.41% | 13.385 | $ | |
VOD | -1.78% | 10.051 | $ | |
GSK | -1.16% | 41.945 | $ | |
AZN | 0.52% | 78.99 | $ | |
BP | 2.22% | 33.165 | $ | |
BTI | -0.76% | 37.595 | $ |
Did you know everything about panda bears?
Did you already know everything about the cute panda bears? Here we tell you a few important things you may not have known about pandas.
Do pandas have a second thumb?
The panda has actually developed a second thumb during evolution. The reason: the extended carpal bone enables it to hold bamboo poles better. The rest of its body is also perfectly adapted to its diet: Its oesophagus, for example, is lined with horn - so the sharp-edged pieces of bamboo cannot scratch it when it swallows.
18 kilos of bamboo - and then what?
Eating and sleeping fill almost the whole day. Sounds good, but he also has to eat a huge mountain of up to 18 kilos of bamboo every day. The bamboo is so low in calories and nutrients that the panda neither moves quickly nor engages in particularly intensive activities - apart from eating and, well, the opposite. The panda also produces ten kilograms of faeces every day.
Bear, dog, cat - what is the panda?
The panda belongs to the Ursidae family (large bears). In Chinese, however, it is called a big bear cat. Its scientific name (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) provides clarification: black and white cat-footed panda. Although it is not as fleet-footed as a cat, it can see just as well at night as it has pupils similar to those of a cat.
Why are pandas black and white?
Camouflage, warmth or fashion? It's a mystery: from deterring enemies to camouflage in the snow-covered bamboo slopes to thermoregulation, there is much debate among scientists.
Pandas only eat bamboo? Not quite...
Pandas are flexitarians. Although the panda is a carnivore, its diet is largely vegetarian. And yes, 99 per cent of their diet consists of bamboo. It also eats herbs such as buckthorn and gentian. It also eats caterpillars and small vertebrates that come across its nose.
How many pandas are there in the wild?
In the 1970s, there were barely more than a thousand animals. Today, thanks to effective conservation work, there are once again around 1860 pandas in the wild, although they only inhabit a fraction of their original territory. Only a maximum of 250 individuals live in each individual area. Unlike other bears, pandas do not hibernate. They only migrate to lower-lying and therefore somewhat warmer regions.
How do pandas communicate?
Pandas use a wide variety of sounds to express themselves. When mating, you can hear a chirping, a "honking" when they feel uncomfortable. They can also bleat like a goat - this is their way of making friendly contact. A loud bark is intended to warn an enemy. When pandas scream, they are in pain or want to be subdued.
Poaching? Death penalty in China!
Pandas are no longer hunted today because there is virtually no market since poaching pandas is severely penalised - in China even with the death penalty. However, pandas still fall victim to hunters because they die in traps made of wire snares that were actually set up to hunt other animals.
And if you don't love pandas yet, just watch our video and you'll be amazed at what a panda can do...!