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No one really knows exactly why pandas are so clumsy. What is clear, however, is that these cute animals are anything but stupid.
5 Facts About Pandas: Why They’re So Clumsy Yet Smart
Pandas are cuddly, eat bamboo all day long, and sleep a lot—that’s the image many people have in their minds when they think of these black-and-white animals. But pandas actually have numerous quirks.
- Pandas are clumsy: Time and again, you see videos online of pandas stumbling, falling down, doing somersaults, and looking very awkward in the process. No one has yet researched exactly why pandas are so clumsy, but it could be due to their rather chubby bodies that they regularly put on slapstick-like performances.
- Pandas are smart: Anyone who thinks that pandas are stupid is mistaken. The animals are actually considered smart because they regularly rub themselves with horse manure to stay warmer in the winter—they are so far the only mammals to have come up with this idea,
- Pandas have two thumbs: To help the panda hold onto its beloved bamboo more securely, a second thumb has evolved in the animal. But the panda doesn’t just like bamboo; it also enjoys eating caterpillars, small vertebrates, and herbs.
- Pandas do not hibernate: Although they belong to the family of large bears, pandas do not hibernate. They wander around to reach slightly warmer regions.
- Pandas have bowel movements very frequently: Bamboo provides the panda with very few nutrients, which is why it moves very slowly and sleeps a lot. However, bamboo is considered difficult to digest, which is why pandas have to relieve themselves very frequently.
Are pandas threatened with extinction?
The giant panda has been on the International Red List for many years, as it is considered endangered. However, the population has recovered.
- Pandas live in the southwest of China, in isolated mountainous regions. The last census of these animals took place in 2014, when 1,864 wild pandas were counted; in the 1980s, there were fewer than 1,000 pandas, so the situation for these animals has improved.
- Pandas are therefore no longer considered a critically endangered species. Nevertheless, they remain a vulnerable species. As bamboo forests are being cleared, their habitat continues to shrink. Roads and railways that divide the pandas’ territory also make it harder for these solitary animals to find one another and mate.
