Pandas Physical and Behavioral Adaptations
Giant Pandas Physical Adaptations:
- Their "Sixth Toe", pandas have five toes, but they have developed a sixth toe that helps them grasp the bamboo better when they are eating. This toe originated from the panda's wrist bone, which gives them extra strength, that is needed to tear the shoots and leaves from the bamboo stems. This extra toe is crucial to the panda's survival, because they spend 99 percent of their diet consists of eating bamboo shoots and leaves.
2. Their head and jaw muscles are also very important. Since bamboo is such a durable and flexible plant, pandas have had to develop strong jaw muscles to be able to eat the bamboo. As a result, pandas have also developed an enlarged cranial cavity that can house the strong jaw muscles necessary to chew through bamboo. These adaptations allow the giant panda bear to comfortably chew for extended periods of time, so that the panda may eat as much bamboo as necessary to maintain proper nutrition.
3. Along with their strong jaw muscle, pandas also need proper teeth to be able to eat the bamboo. Over the centuries, their molars have developed into smoother and larger molars than a normal bear's molars. Since their diet mainly consists of bamboo, unlike other bears, a panda rarely uses its canine teeth.
4. A panda's legs have become an important part of their survival, as the years have gone by their legs have strengthened over time because pandas have to climb trees in order to get food. A giant panda can consume anywhere from 20 to 40 pounds of bamboo in a single day. A panda's average weight is about 250 pounds for males and up to 220 pounds for females, due to all of this bamboo consumption. The panda's legs must be able to carry this weight over long distances and up high trees for an average of 10 to 16 hours every day, to allow the panda bear to maintain the proper nutrition levels necessary for survival.
