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50 free pandas trivia questions with answers. Did you know giant pandas have a special bone that acts like a thumb? You'll discover fascinating facts about pandas' diet, habitat, and conservation in this 50-question quiz. See how much you really know about these incredible bears!
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Q 01Empress Dowager Bo of Han-dynasty China was buried with which part of a giant panda in her vault?
A skull
A skull went into her vault, as pandas were thought rare and noble; ancient texts also credit panda urine with melting swallowed needles.
Q 02The brown-and-white Qinling panda lives only in mountains of which Chinese province?
Shaanxi
Shaanxi: the Qinling Mountains run across southern Shaanxi, and genetic work dates the Qinling population's split from other giant pandas to about 300,000 years ago.
Q 03What are the two main colors of a giant panda's fur?
Black and white
Giant pandas are famous for their distinctive black and white fur. They have black patches around their eyes, ears, shoulders, and legs, with the rest of their body covered in white fur.
Q 04Which international conservation organization uses a giant panda as its logo?
WWF (World Wildlife Fund)
WWF (World Wildlife Fund) adopted the panda at its founding in 1961; Sir Peter Scott drew the logo from Gerald Watterson's sketches, and it was simplified in 1978 and again in 1986.
Q 05Roughly what share of a wild giant panda's diet is bamboo?
About 99%
Fresh growth is the prize, rich in starch and up to 32% protein, so pandas gorge from April to August and live off leaves afterwards.
Q 06To which conservation status did the IUCN downlist the giant panda in 2016?
Vulnerable
Vulnerable: in September 2016 the IUCN moved the giant panda from Endangered to Vulnerable after national surveys showed the wild population growing; China matched the downlisting in July 2021.
Q 07What is the scientific name of the giant panda?
Ailuropoda melanoleuca
Ailuropoda melanoleuca has a second subspecies, the Qinling panda, recognised on skull measurements and wearing a light brown coat instead of the familiar pattern.
Q 08Approximately how much does a newborn giant panda cub weigh?
About 3-5 ounces
About 3-5 ounces (90-130 grams), roughly 1/800 of the mother's weight and proportionally the smallest baby of any placental mammal; the cub is born pink, blind and toothless.
Q 09What practice involves China loaning giant pandas to foreign zoos?
Panda Diplomacy
Panda Diplomacy: from 1941 to 1984 China gave pandas as gifts; since 1984 they have been leased instead, and any cub born abroad belongs to China.
Q 10Which animal family are giant pandas classified in?
Ursidae (bears)
Ursidae (bears) it is, confirmed by molecular studies in 1985; the panda lineage branched off earliest of the eight living bear species, about 19 million years ago.
Q 11In which type of habitat do wild giant pandas primarily live?
Temperate mountain forests
Temperate mountain forests of central China, at 5,000 to 10,000 feet, with a dense bamboo understory, are home.
Q 12How long is a giant panda's gestation period?
About 3-5 months
The giant panda's gestation period is typically 95-160 days (about 3-5 months). However, this is complicated by delayed implantation, where the embryo may float in the uterus before implanting.
Q 13How many hours per day do giant pandas typically spend eating?
10-16
Giant pandas spend 10 to 16 hours each day eating bamboo. Because bamboo is low in nutritional value, they must consume large quantities to meet their energy needs.
Q 21What is the red panda's scientific name?
Ailurus fulgens
Ailurus fulgens, named in 1825, carries the Latin fulgens for 'shining' or 'bright'; the red panda received its scientific name some 44 years before the giant panda was formally described in 1869.
Q 22Which taxonomic group is the red panda the sole living member of?
Ailuridae
The red panda is the sole living member of the family Ailuridae. Despite superficial similarities to raccoons and bears, genetic studies placed it in its own unique family.
Q 23Roughly how many red pandas are estimated to survive in the wild worldwide?
About 10,000
Q 14What is the approximate lifespan of a giant panda in the wild?
15-20 years
Giant pandas live about 15-20 years in the wild; captives live longer, and Jia Jia of Hong Kong's Ocean Park reached 38, recognised by Guinness World Records in 2015 as the oldest panda ever in captivity.
Q 15Which Chinese province is home to the largest wild giant panda population?
Sichuan
Sichuan province is home to the largest wild giant panda population, with about 75% of all wild pandas living in its mountainous bamboo forests. The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is also located there.
Q 16What special adaptation do giant pandas have on their front paws that helps them grip bamboo?
An enlarged wrist bone (pseudo-thumb)
Giant pandas have an enlarged radial sesamoid bone in their wrist that functions like a thumb, giving them a pseudo-thumb. This adaptation allows them to grip and manipulate bamboo stalks with remarkable dexterity.
Q 17Roughly how much does a giant panda weigh on its first birthday?
About 100 pounds
Cubs stay with their mothers until they are 18 months to two years old, which is why wild births are usually spaced two years apart.
Q 18How many young does a giant panda typically have per birth?
1-2
1-2 cubs: a litter is one or two, and twins arrive in roughly half of pregnancies, though a wild mother usually raises only one; the cub's black patches show within a month.
Q 19Outside the breeding season, how do giant pandas typically live in their mountain forests?
Alone
Alone: adult giant pandas are solitary outside the brief spring breeding season, each keeping to its own home range and meeting others only to mate.
Q 20Which London Zoo giant panda, arriving from Beijing in 1958, became the model for a conservation charity's logo?
Chi Chi
Chi Chi, bought by dealer Heini Demmer, reached London Zoo in September 1958 after a Chicago deal collapsed under the US embargo on Chinese goods; her preserved body is displayed at the Natural History Museum.
About 10,000: the IUCN estimates fewer than 10,000 mature red pandas survive in the wild, with numbers falling as Himalayan forest is cleared and fragmented.
Q 24In which regions are red pandas found in the wild?
Eastern Himalayas and southwestern China
It favours steep slopes with dense bamboo near water in Himalayan oak, fir and rhododendron forest; its two subspecies split about 250,000 years ago.
Q 25Which naturalist scientifically described and named the red panda in 1825?
Frédéric Cuvier
For more than 40 years it was simply 'the panda' — the only animal by that name — until the giant panda was described in 1869.
Q 26Hua Mei, the first giant panda cub to survive to adulthood in the US, was born at which zoo in 1999?
San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo: Hua Mei was born there on 21 August 1999 to Bai Yun, who went on to have five more cubs at the zoo; her name pairs 'Hua' (China) with 'Mei' (America).
Q 27What is the biggest threat to giant panda survival in the wild?
Habitat loss and fragmentation
Habitat loss and fragmentation is the greatest threat to wild giant pandas. Roads, railways, and agriculture have divided panda habitat into isolated patches, reducing genetic diversity and access to bamboo.
Q 28How many existing nature reserves were combined to form China's Giant Panda National Park?
About 67
About 67 existing nature reserves were merged into the Giant Panda National Park, which spans Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu and was formally established in October 2021 to reconnect roughly 30 isolated panda populations.
Q 29What special feature does a red panda's tail serve?
A blanket for warmth in cold weather
A blanket for warmth: in cold weather the red panda sleeps curled up with its long bushy tail wrapped over its face and body; in heat it sprawls along a branch with legs dangling.
Q 30The name 'panda' most likely comes from a word in which language?
Nepali
The Nepali phrase 'nigalya ponya' has been translated as 'bamboo-footed'; the name was applied to the red panda first and only later to the giant panda.