The big panda from the Red Book is a rather rare animal, which is currently on the verge of extinction. The unusual bear is the official symbol of the well-known organization for the protection of animals.
Red Book
The Red Book is an illustrated encyclopedia that lists envi- ronmental representatives. It first appeared in 1902 in Paris. At this time, a number of countries signed an agreement to create the first of its kind Red Book. In honor of this, the first international convention for the protection of birds was held, which, in fact, became the first official agreement on the protection of animals.
Later, in 1948, the
International Union for Conservation of Nature appeared. It included 502 organizations from 130 countries. The conventions discussed a
nature conservation strategy and next steps. To date, the headquarters of the organization, which employs about a hundred people, is located in Switzerland. Its activities cover the conservation of endangered species, as well as the management of environmental legislation systems. This organization - the creator of the Red Book - seeks to ensure that all decisions on environmental protection activities are based solely on a scientific point of view.
Later, in 1949, a specialized commission on rare species of animals was created, and its task was to study the rarest species of animals, as well as plants, which were on the verge of extinction at that time. At that time, a large panda was not yet included in this list. An animal listed in the Red Book should have been represented by a population of less than 1000 individuals.
Today, employees of the organization develop and prepare projects for subsequent international conventions. The main goal of the Red Book is to create a world list of animals that will soon face complete extinction. In 1963, the first printed edition of the book appeared. 2 volumes contained information on 211 mammals and 312 birds. Externally, the publication was more like a calendar, each sheet of which was devoted to a separate species. Initially, it was assumed that, as needed, the pages would be taken out of the book and replaced with new ones with more recent summaries, but later this idea was abandoned.
Big panda is a strange child of nature
The big panda is a quiet cute creature in black and white robes. Besides the fact that bamboo bears are considered a national symbol of the wildlife fund, this animal is considered a national treasure of China.
Despite all the attention paid to these animals today, they are endangered. Of course, the main danger is man, since in nature pandas have practically no enemies. Now in the wild there are about one and a half thousand individuals of this amazing creature. The Big Panda from the Red Book is the rarest member of the bear family. They live mainly in bamboo forests or high in the mountains. A panda eats from 12 to 38 kg of food per day. In order to find such an amount of edible, a black and white bear has to get fruits and other supplies from the most inaccessible places. For this, nature has endowed them with an enlarged bone on the wrists, which function as the thumbs of a person.
History
The first fossil evidence of the existence of pandas on Earth is about 3 million years old. During the Pleistocene, which was more than 18,000 years ago, a giant glacier covered the entire Northern Hemisphere, forcing the ancestors of the pandas to move south. So bamboo bears first appeared in areas of China, where they began to develop.
Description
Despite the fact that the weight of an adult panda can reach 106 kg, this does not stop the animal from cleverly climbing trees. The large panda, or bamboo bear, is 1.5 meters long (excluding the tail). By color, nature endowed them with unusual “glasses” of black color around the eyes. The nose, lips and limbs are also colored dark, and the rest of the body is white.
In some Chinese provinces, such as Sichuan, you can find a panda with a reddish tint. The Big Panda from the Red Book lives at an altitude of 2700 to 3900 meters above sea level, but in the cold season it usually goes down to 800 meters.
Nutrition
The large panda feeds mainly on bamboo, although it sometimes includes other plants, for example, saffron, irises in its diet, and sometimes it does not disdain mammals. It takes up to 12 hours a day to eat with a black and white bear. The big panda from the Red Book eats while sitting and slowly chews bamboo shoots, after having peeled the hard outer layer from the plant.
Sixth finger
As you know, pandas are the owners of the sixth finger, which is actually not hemologous for this species. The process was formed as a result of deformation of one of the bones on the wrist.
This fact is still being studied by experts, and scientists continue to conduct research regarding the species affiliation of black and white bears, and also discuss in which section the international Red Book should display them. The giant panda is generally the subject of much debate among biologists.
Classification
For many years, discussions have been held regarding the fact that the panda can belong to the raccoon or bear family. They also discussed the possibility of allocating a personal family to the bamboo bears, which would be called “pandas”. However, after molecular analysis, scientists came to the conclusion that the DNA of pandas most closely matches the cellular structure of bears. According to tests, it was also revealed that these animals separated from the usual clubfoot about 15-25 million years ago. After the bamboo bear appeared in a publication known as the international Red Book, the big panda became the object of even closer scrutiny.
Breeding
Pandas mate exclusively in the spring. Pregnancy in females lasts approximately 5 months. This uncertainty is caused by the fact that sometimes the implantation of the embryo into the uterus is delayed. After 5-6 months, up to 3 cubs are born. True, in the end only one baby survives.
Animals reach puberty at the age of 6 years. Given the fact that the life expectancy of bamboo bears is 14 years, it is not surprising that now the panda is a rare Red Book animal. On top of that, females are able to breed only a few days a year. During this period, pandas completely change and turn from cute teddy bears into aggressive tyrants. Therefore, in the mating season, males do not see anything around, but only try to win the attention of a beautiful female. Arranging fights, opponents can bite, scratch and fight not for life, but for death. The loser may remain without a pair until next year. But this does not mean that the winner receives everything, as the female may well refuse the winning male if she is not sure that it will receive healthy and strong offspring from him.
Red Book Animals: The Big Panda
This species is today on the verge of extinction and is officially listed in the Red Book. According to the most reliable data, in the mid-90s in the world there were less than 1000 individuals. And this despite the fact that in China there are quite strict laws regarding the killing of a panda. For such a crime was the only sentence - the death penalty.
But alas, despite all the severity in relation to poachers, the big panda continued to be destroyed due to its unusual fur. The Red Book, whose message about the extinction of these animals literally shocked the "green", paid great attention to bamboo bears in the latest edition.
Lifestyle
Although pandas are predators, like their kinsmen are bears, the basis of their diet is vegetarian food. Nevertheless, animals still need protein, which can be obtained exclusively from animal food.
Most of the day the panda eats, the rest of the time it is napping. Because of such a more than measured way of life, funny bears become wonderful models for tourists who post thousands of touching photos around the Internet.
Bamboo bears sleep mainly on trees, although at times of laziness they can also settle on the ground. Despite their seemingly clumsiness, pandas climb trees perfectly.
Finally
Today, pandas are protected. The killing of these animals can entail quite serious consequences. In addition, pandas are on the verge of extinction due to the fact that their natural habitat is gradually being destroyed by humans. To reduce risks and keep unusual bears in nature, the heads of Chinese provinces are working hard to create specialized reserves for pandas.