Conservation Assignment Essay --

Ailuropoda melanoleuca, also known as the Giant Panda, is one of the most endangered species. It was first found and ranged throughout the region of southern and eastern China, as well as northern Myanmar and northern Vietnam indicated by the fossil records (Là ¼, 2008). Today, giant panda is only found and restricted to six fragmented and isolated mountains including Qinling, Minshan, Liangshan, Qionglai, Xiaoxiangling, and Daxiangling in Shaanxi, Gansu and Sichuan Provinces. The current population is estimated to be around 1000-2000. Wild giant panda subpopulation is estimated to be around 50. It exhibits a female-biased dispersal due the larger amount of female compare to male and competition for mating. This led male pandas to set up territories near the birthplace, creating a uniform dispersion. Giant pandas live in coniferous and temperate forests along with dense stands of bamboo at elevations around 5000-10,000 feet. They tend to not hibernate but generally descend to lower places in the winter and take places such as hollow trees, caves and rock crevices as their temporary shelters. They spend around half of their day feeding on different species of bamboos depending on the seasons to maximize the ingestion of energy, which comprises 99% of their diets. They obtain the water that they need from bamboos. Wild pandas occasionally eat grasses, small rodents and musk deer fawns but these only make up 1% of their diets. The giant pandas that live in the zoos eat mostly bamboo and occasionally other food that wild pandas don’t eat such as sweet potatoes, carrots and some special high-fiber biscuit (national zoo, 2012). One of the main causes of the giant panda population decline is the degraded and restricted habitat. Gian... ...hough the increased amount of panda isn’t as high, it still worked. Works Cited Amsel, Sheri. â€Å"Environmental Issues.† Endangered Species -The Giant Panda. Exploring Nature Educational Resource. 2005. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. National Zoo. "Giant Panda." Facts. National Zoological Park, 2012. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. Loucks, CJ. "Result Filters." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 16 Nov. 2001. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. Là ¼, Z, Wang, D. & Garshelis, D.L. (IUCN SSC Bear Specialist Group) 2008. Ailuropoda melanoleuca. In: IUCN 2013. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. World Wildlife Fund. "Panda's Natural Enemies and Defenses." WWF. World Wildlife Fund, 2008. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. Zhan, XJ. "Molecular Analysis of Dispersal in Giant Pandas." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 16 Sept. 2007. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.