PANDA
			Phylum: Class: Order: Family: Species: Chordata Mammalia Carnivora Procyonidae Ailuropoda melanoleuca (Panda, Giant Panda) Ailurus fulgens (Red)

A truly mysterious animal, many of the panda's habits are unknown, due to its secrecy and shy nature. Many people think of the panda as a traditional bear, belonging to the Ursidae family. This is not the case. While "bearlike," the panda is its own animal found in remote damp, cold bamboo forests on the hillsides of eastern Tibet and Szechwan in southwest China. In fact, the name panda was originally applied to the red panda, or the cat bear. The panda usurped the name, but is frequently referred to as the giant panda to avoid confusion.

Its striking black and white coloring, and gentle appearance and features have captured the imaginations of people around the globe. The first European to discover the panda was P`ere David in 1869. In 1937 the first live panda was seen outside China and there are now several in zoos around the world.

The panda is about 6 feet long ( 1.8 m) and weighs about 286 lbs. (130 kg). Because it is a secretive animal, little is known about its habits in the wild, nor about its habitat, which is very inaccessible. Pandas appear to be solitary animals, except during breeding season, which is believed to occur in spring. They live mostly on the ground and eat plant material, such as bamboo shoots, grasses, gentians, irises, and crocuses, together with a few small rodents, birds, and fish. It is not known how many wild specimens exist, but the panda is strictly protected.

The panda's breeding habits are not completely understood, despite two attempts in Moscow and London to persuade their pandas, An-an and Chi-chi, to mate. It is believed that in the wild, pandas produce one or two cubs in January.