What is the habitat of the giant panda?
The original habitat of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is the bamboo forests of Asia. Since bamboo has very poor nutritional value, each giant panda needs to eat very large quantities of bamboo in order to survive.AmountEach adult giant panda needs to eat at least 20 to 40 pounds of bamboo every day, according to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, or National Zoo.SignificanceThe amount of bamboo forests are shrinking in Asia as the human population grows. The less bamboo there is for giant pandas to eat, the less pandas there are in the wild.ElevationGiant pandas can best survive in the wild in forests 5,000 to 10,000 feet above sea level, according to the National Zoo. These forests need to have heavy rainfall and heavy mist to grow the bamboo.NumbersBecause there is so little habitat left and giant pandas take a very long time to breed, there are only an estimated 1,600 in the wild, according to the International Union of Conservation of Nature. About 300 live in the
