Land Mammals, features and articles | Educational Science

Mar 26, 2014

Bamboo-Munching Pandas Also Have a Sweet Tooth

Bamboo isn't the only food pandas crave — the furry giants also have a sweet tooth, a new study finds. Studies of panda behavior and genetics suggest that pandas not only have taste receptors for sweet foods, but also show a strong preference for natural sweeteners such as fructose and...

Apr 9, 2014

Panda Sutra – the Ups and Downs of Getting Grumpy Bears to Have Sex

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. There is nothing intrinsic to pandas that makes them bad at breeding. It is true that they only have one menstrual cycle each year, but this is true of...

Apr 15, 2014

Cub Watch Begins After Panda's Artificial Insemination

Some Brits are crossing their fingers for a new royal baby — not a second-born for William and Kate, but a panda cub for Tian Tian and Yang Guang. Officials at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland announced today (April 15) that Britain's only female giant panda, Tian Tian, was...

Aug 14, 2014

Cute Alert! Adorable Photos of Giant Panda Triplets

Human Help (Image credit: AFPTV | Chimelong Group | Newslook)The first known surviving giant panda triplets were born at the Chimelong Safari Park in China's Guangdong province on July 29, 2014. The cubs' mother was so exhausted after giving birth that panda experts let her rest and placed the triplets...

Aug 14, 2014

Triplets! Giant Panda Gives Birth to 'Rare' Trio in China

A zoo in southern China celebrated the birth of the world's first known surviving panda triplets, a rare event for the endangered, bamboo-loving bears. The mother, Juxiao, gave birth to the trio on July 29, but the Chimelong Safari Park only announced what they called the miracle birth on Wednesday...

Dec 5, 2014

Pandas Show Resilience in Range of Habitats (Gallery)

Michigan State University contributed these images to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. While pandas have been intensively observed for at least three decades, some of the most prominent beliefs about the animals are more conventional wisdom than actual fact. Re-analyzing data from a wealth of panda studies, Michigan...

Dec 5, 2014

Tao of Pandas: Sometimes They Go With the Flow

Sue Nichols is the assistant director of the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability at Michigan State University. Nichols contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Good news on the panda front: Turns out, they're not quite as delicate — or as picky — as scientists...

Jan 6, 2015

Adorable Panda Cub Gets 1st Snow Day in Washington

Washington, D.C.'s beloved panda cub Bao Bao got to play in the snow for the first time today (Jan. 6). Snow blanketed the nation's capital this morning, forcing the Smithsonian's National Zoo to close to the public. But zoo officials thankfully released adorable footage of the 16-month-old panda cub tumbling...

Jan 27, 2015

As Bamboo Forests Fade, Can Pandas Survive? (Op-Ed)

Ilissa Ocko, climate scientist at Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Giant pandas, with their fuzzy raccoon eyes and innocent faces, are one of the world's most treasured endangered species. We look at them and feel compassion. It helps explain why...

Mar 11, 2015

San Diego Zoo Turns Off Panda Cam for Mating Time

If the San Diego Zoo's panda cam is a daily source of procrastination, we have some bad news for you: Footage may be a little spotty over the next few days because it's mating season. The good news is that the critter cam's coverage will be back to normal shortly....

May 13, 2015

Oh, Baby! Giant Panda at DC Zoo Might Have Another Cub

Giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) may have another cub in a few months. Veterinarians gave the furry 16-year-old starlet two rounds of artificial insemination on April 26 and 27 at the National Zoo in Washington D.C., according to the Smithsonian. Female giant pandas are fertile only once a year for...

May 19, 2015

Panda Poop Reveals They're Bad at Digesting Bamboo

Even though bamboo is their main food source, giant pandas are horrible at digesting it, a new study of their gut bacteria finds. A look at the giant-panda gut microbiome (bacteria living in the stomach and intestines) showed that the animals have relatively few bacteria that help digest fibrous plants...

Jul 9, 2015

Giant Pandas' Lazy Lifestyle Justified by Science

Giant pandas have an insatiable hankering for bamboo, but scientists have long wondered how the bears survive on such a fibrous and low-nutrient plant. Now, a new study finds that giant pandas have clever ways to conserve energy, including having lazy lifestyles, small organs and special genes. The researchers followed...

Jul 28, 2015

Oldest Panda in Captivity Celebrates 37th Birthday

A female panda in Hong Kong celebrated her 37th birthday today (July 28), becoming the oldest panda in captivity, and setting two new Guinness World Records in the process. The giant panda, named Jia Jia, now holds the title for oldest panda ever in captivity and oldest panda living in...

Jul 29, 2015

In Photos: Festive Scenes from Panda Birthday Parties

Jia Jia the panda has set a new Guinness World Record for being the oldest panda in captivity. Animal keepers at Ocean Park, in Hong Kong, celebrated Jia Jia's 37th birthday on July 28. Included in the celebration was one of the park's other resident pandas and the world's second-oldest...