How much bamboo does a panda eat?
Because giant pandas are unable to efficiently digest bamboo and thus absorb only a small percentage of the nutrients in it, they must consume vast amounts of it in order to ensure that they get enough nutrients. A wild panda spends about 12 to 16 hours a day feeding and may eat up to 40 lb of bamboo daily, sometimes even more. A captive panda’s daily bamboo consumption is somewhat less and is determined by its keepers.
