Panda–China’s National Treasure

By JIANG FUMEI

Panda fossils can be dated back up to eight million years. During the Western Jin Dynasty （265-316）， its image was painted on the banner of armistice and regarded as a symbol of peace. Western people first knew of panda in the 19th century， when they were brought to Europe and America， but could not breed there. After the founding of the Peoples Republic of China， the government has made great efforts to protect the endangered animal. Nowadays， a growing number of pandas freely wander the bamboo forests.

THE panda is an ancient inhabit- ant of the earth. As early as eight million years ago， its ancestor began to live in the territory that now lies in China. Today， pandas， which mainly inhabit the mountainous regions of Sichuan， Shaanxi and Gansu provinces， have not only become Chinas national treasure， but are also widely loved by people of the world. In 1961， the panda became the mascot of the World Wildlife Fund.

Inhabiting deep mountains and forests， its black and white appearance is conducive to its hiding in the foliage and snow-covered ground to avoid be- ing discovered by natural enemies. In addition to black limbs， ears， nose and tail， its eyes are surrounded by a circle of black hair， the area from chest to shoulder and the neck is also surrounded by a circle of black hair， and other parts are all white. However， there are exceptions； some of them have black abdomens， while others are white. In addition， due to factors such as sunshine and nutrition， some pandas are not pure enough in color， may be reddish， grayish， or brownish.

Pandas belong to the family of bears which are predatory mammals. However， pandas consume various kinds of bamboo as their primary diet， and they also eat weeds， flowers and vines. Their molars and masseter muscles are particularly developed， so they have strong chewing ability. Unlike general carnivores， pandas are more similar to herbivores. Pandas also retain the shorter intestines of carnivores； they do not have complex digestion and huge caecum that herbivores have for storing food. There is also no symbiotic bacteria or enzymes in their intestines and stomach that break down cellulose into absorbent nutrients. The only way to get the nutrition they need is to eat more， so pandas eat more than half the time each day.

Pandas are not completely vegetarian. Instead， they look for and catch bamboo rats hidden in bamboo groves， and love honey just as other bears do. They are also known to go after goats and will also consume ox meat if they come across a carcass.