Kelompok 6 :
- Devi Widiastuti
- Igusti Saida
- Nurul Aini
- Refa Safila
The Giant Panda
The giant panda is a bear native to
central-western and south western China. It is easily recognized by
its large, distinctive black patches around the eyes, over the ears, and across
its round body. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the panda's eat is
99% bamboo. Pandas in the wild will occasionally eat other grasses, wild
tubers, or even meat in the form of birds, rodents or carrion. In captivity
they may receive honey, eggs, fish, yams, shrub leaves, oranges, or bananas
along with specially prepared feed.
The giant panda lives in a few mountain ranges
in central China, mainly in Sichuan province, but also in the Shaanxi
and Gansu
provinces. Due to farming, deforestation and other development, the panda has
been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived.
The panda is a conservation reliant endangered
species. A 2007 report shows 239 pandas living in captivity inside China and
another 27 outside the country. Wild population estimates vary; one estimate
shows that there are about 1,590 individuals living in the wild, while a 2006
study via DNA analysis estimated that this figure could be as high as 2,000 to
3,000. Some reports also show that the number of pandas in the wild is on the
rise. However, the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) does not believe there is enough certainty yet to
reclassify the species from Endangered to Vulnerable.
While the dragon has historically served as China's
national emblem, in recent decades the panda has also served as an emblem for
the country. Its image
appears on a large number of modern Chinese commemorative silver, gold, and
platinum coins. Though the panda is often assumed
to be docile, it has been known to attack humans, presumably out of irritation
rather than predation.