Giant pandas
A child watches one of the pandas on exhibit. at the Smithsonian National Zoo. Credit: Wade Sisler CC-BY 2.0. Wild giant pandas are found in the mountains of central China in dense bamboo and coniferous forests at altitudes of 5,000 to 10,000 feet. Driven nearly to extinction by habitat loss and poaching, these elusive and secretive mammals are among the rarest in the world, with only an estimated 1,600 remaining in the wild.  The typical panda bear habitat is mountainous forest regions with plenty of bamboo. Such environments are commonly found at altitudes from 2700 to 3900 m (8850 to 12,800'), but the panda bear can descend down to 800 m (2600') during the cold season in search of warmer temperatures. The panda bear habitat is found in one of the most biologically rich temperature forests on the planet. Since several peaks are taller than 3000 meters, the Qinling Mountains will function as a barrier against the cool and dry air that travels from the north. A wild giant pandas diet is almost exclusively (99 percent) bamboo. The balance consists of other grasses and occasional small rodents or musk deer fawns. In zoos, giant pandas eat bamboo, sugar cane, rice gruel, a special high-fiber biscuit, carrots, apples, and sweet potatoes. Geographic Distribution: Giant pandas live in a few mountain ranges in central China, in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces. They once lived in lowland areas, but farming, forest clearing, and other development now restrict giant pandas to the mountains. Pandas are found in mixed deciduous and evergreen mountain temperate forests. In these forests are bamboo and rhododendron plants, which grow in altitudes between 3,000 and 10,000 feet. Pandas naturally live in the grassy lands of China, staying in rocky places and in hollowed out trees. In the winter, the panda finds shelter in bamboo thickets; they also eat the bamboo. Habitat. In the wild, giant pandas are only found in the remote, mountainous regions of central China, in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, according to the National Zoo. In this area, there are cool, wet bamboo forests that are perfect for the giant panda's needs. Eating both vegetation and meat makes these pandas omnivores. The giant panda's stomach is ideal for digesting bamboo. The walls of the stomach are extra-muscular to digest the wood of the bamboo. The stomach is also covered inside with mucus that prevents it from being punctured by splinters. One of the adaptations of the Giant Panda is that the Panda's thumb is actually not a thumb, but a long wrist bone, which enables them to grasp the bamboo using their hands. In regards to their teeth, giant pandas need strong teeth, as well as strong jaw muscles, in order to chew through bamboo plants. Because their diet mainly consists of bamboos, the giant pandas do not use their canine teeth as often as other bears. They are examples of structural adaptations. A Giant Panda eating a bamboo. Dhole, also known as Asiatic wild dog, is native to southeast Asia. The splendid, vast temperate deciduous forests of China is where these pandas call home. Many well-known animals have flourished in these areas, such as the Bengal tiger, dholes, leopard, Asiatic black bear, and red panda. Their role in the ecosystem is to distribute bamboo seeds throughout the region. Because their diet mainly consists of bamboos, the giant pandas do not use their canine teeth as often as other bears. They are examples of structural adaptations. A Giant Panda eating a bamboo. Dhole, also known as Asiatic wild dog, is native to southeast Asia. Habitat. The Red Panda is native to southeastern Asia and can be found along the foothills of the Himalayas from western Nepal, Southern Tibet, Bhutan, and Northeast India. The species can also be found in the highlands of Burma, the Yunnan province of China, and the Sichuan province of China as well. The Red Panda prefers forested mountains at elevations of 1,800 to 4,800 meters where deciduous and coniferous trees can be found in addition to rhododendron and bamboo. Where you find the Red Panda you will usually find the Giant Panda, as well as these two species are able to coexist. Giant pandas live in broadleaf and coniferous forests with a dense understory of bamboo, at elevations between 5,000 and 10,000 feet. Torrential rains or dense mist throughout the year characterizes these forests, often shrouded in heavy clouds. Geographic Distribution: Giant pandas live in a few mountain ranges in central China, in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces. They once lived in lowland areas, but farming, forest clearing, and other development now restrict giant pandas to the mountains.
https://www.fws.gov/international/animals/giant-pandas.html http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/bears/panda/habitat.php http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/PandaFacts/ http://www.edu.pe.ca/southernkings/panda.htm http://www.livescience.com/27335-giant-pandas.html http://endangeredspeciesbiomesprojects.wikispaces.com/Giant+Panda http://endangeredspeciesbiomesprojects.wikispaces.com/Giant+Panda http://www.itsnature.org/ground/mammals-land/red-panda/ http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/PandaFacts/
what vegetation zone are pandas found