ARTICLE

China’s Giant Pandas

Giant pandas are one of the rarest species on the planet. Once ranging for thousands of kilometers, fewer than 1,850 wild pandas remain today.

Grades

3 - 8

Subjects

Biology, Ecology, Geography

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MapMaker Interactive: Giant Panda Ranges

Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) are one of the rarest animals on Earth. With a species range once extending thousands of kilometers, today they are confined to a few pockets of bamboo forest. Our video, part of Nat Geo WILD’s “Destination Wild” series, complements our map of the giant panda’s current and historic ranges, and an outline of the categories and criteria of endangered species. Use these resources to help answer questions in the Questions tab. Then, read some Fast Facts about these “shy, elusive, and gentle” creatures.

Fast Fact

Bamboo leaves and shoots (new growths) make up 99% of a panda’s diet.

Fast Fact

Pandas are a species of bear. They are most closely related to the spectacled bear of South America.

Fast Fact

Pandas are omnivores. Besides bamboo, they will eat grasses, fish, eggs, and grubs (worms and insects). In captivity, pandas will also eat honey, fruit, and specially made “panda chow.”

Fast Fact

Pandas do not live in dens or other permanent homes. They sleep and raise their cubs under trees, stumps, or cliffs.

Fast Fact

Unlike many bears, pandas do not hibernate. During the cold season, they simply migrate to warmer territory.

bamboo

noun

type of huge, woody grass.

captivity

noun

confinement or imprisonment.

complement

verb

to complete or make a positive addition to.

confine

verb

to limit or enclose.

conservation

noun

management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction, or neglect.

criteria

plural noun

set of standards or rules.

den

noun

protected shelter of a wild animal.

elusive

adjective

difficult to capture.

endangered species

noun

organism threatened with extinction.

extend

verb

to enlarge or continue.

forest

noun

ecosystem filled with trees and underbrush.

hibernate

verb

to reduce activity almost to sleeping in order to conserve food and energy, usually in winter.

migrate

verb

to move from one place or activity to another.

omnivore

noun

organism that eats a variety of organisms, including plants, animals, and fungi.

rare

adjective

unusual or uncommon.

shoot

noun

newly sprouted plant or plant growth.

species range

noun

native, geographic area in which an organism can be found. Range also refers to the geographic distribution of a particular species.

territory

noun

land an animal, human, or government protects from intruders.

vulnerable species

noun

level of conservation between "near threatened" and "endangered." Vulnerable is the lowest of the "threatened" categories.

1. According to the video, pandas once roamed “from Beijing to the Himalayas.” What modern-day nations did this species range include? (Hint: Take a quick look at the giant panda layers on our MapMaker Interactive.)

Answer

The panda species range once included China, Myanmar (Burma), and Vietnam. Today, their range only extends to pockets of bamboo forests in western China.

2. About 1,850 giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) are alive in the wild, and about 300 live in captivity. Based on our “Endangered Species: Categories and Criteria” outline, this places giant pandas in what category of endangered species: vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered, or extinct in the wild?

Answer

Giant pandas are a true “vulnerable species.” This means they are less threatened than an "endangered species” species, but more threatened than a “near-threatened” species.

3. China is taking a two-pronged approach to panda conservation. What are the two strategies Chinese conservationists are using to protect the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)?

Answer

Chinese conservationists are working to increase the number of pandas in captivity and release more pandas into the wild.

Credits

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Writer

National Geographic Society

Editors

Melissa MacPhee, National Geographic Society

Jessica Shea, National Geographic Society, National Geographic Society

Producer

National Geographic Society

other

Last Updated

June 30, 2025

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ARTICLE

ARTICLE

China’s Giant Pandas

China’s Giant Pandas

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