Giant pandas can be identified easily by their distinctive black and white fur. Their eyes, ears, nose, cheat, arms and legs are black, while the remainder of their body is white. Scientists believe that such conspicuous markings around the eyes make the panda's eyes appear larger and help giant pandas to scare off enemies. The markings also allow giant pandas to spot each other easily in the bamboo forest, thus helping them to avoid unnecessary encounters, as they are solitary animals.

However, newborn giant panda cubs do not have this distinctive black and white fur. Instead, they have only a thin layer of fur! Weighing between 90g and 130g, the nursing newborn cubs need all their mothers' attention. Cubs cannot see until they are four months old. As they reach the age of two, they leave their mothers to explore and look for food on their own.

Bamboo is the main food source for giant pandas, making up 99% of their diet. Yet, giant pandas absorb only about 17% of the nutrients from bamboo. This is why giant pandas spend approximately 14 hours a day eating and searching for food. In the wild, giant pandas eat lots of bamboo every day! Sometimes, they eat small rodents, as they are higher in protein.

In order for giant pandas to live happily, their home – the bamboo forest – must be large enough for them to forage and nest, with caves and big tree trunks for nesting, and have temperatures between 10 C and 20 C, as well as nearby water sources.

Due to habitat destruction and various other human activities, the survival of giant pandas in the wild in threatened. Nowadays, only about 1,500 wild giant pandas can be found in Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi, the three provinces in China. Though you may live far away, make a difference and help them by reducing, reusing, recycling and rethinking. You can also make donations to green groups, such as the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, Hong Kong, and support their conservation efforts and research on giant pandas and their habitat.