Giant pandas primarily eat bamboo, which makes up over 95% of their diet. There are more than 50 types of bamboo that pandas can eat, but they prefer around 20 types, including arrow bamboo, white bamboo, walking stick bamboo, and Bashan wood bamboo.
Dietary Preferences and Seasonal Variations:
Giant pandas’ dietary preferences change with the seasons. In the wild, they typically prefer bamboo shoots in spring and summer due to their high nutritional and energy content, low fiber, and easy digestibility. During the fall, they favor bamboo leaves. In winter, when the quality and quantity of bamboo leaves decrease, they consume more bamboo stalks. Additionally, because the timing of bamboo shoot emergence varies with different mountain systems, bamboo species, and elevations, wild pandas often follow a “bamboo chasing” habit to find fresh shoots.
Diet in Captivity:
In captivity, zookeepers adjust the bamboo supply based on the pandas’ changing preferences and the effectiveness of different bamboo types. The daily amount of bamboo provided depends on the panda’s size and appetite, usually accounting for 6% to 15% of their body weight. On average, an adult panda needs 20 to 30 kilograms of bamboo daily, divided into 5 to 6 feedings, including at night. Each adult panda consumes about 10 to 15 kilograms of bamboo, with over half of it often wasted. Studies indicate that pandas in captivity need to receive over 60% of their total food intake from bamboo to avoid digestive issues and frequent mucus excretion. To ensure a balanced diet, zookeepers also provide a mixture of concentrated feed made from wheat, soybeans, corn, rice, and wheat bran, along with small amounts of fruits and vegetables and trace elements to supplement the nutritional deficiencies of their bamboo diet.
Regional Differences:
The panda diet also varies by region. In Shaanxi’s Qinling Mountains, pandas spend more time eating bamboo leaves, whereas in some areas of Sichuan, pandas spend more time eating bamboo stalks.
