Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) Fact Sheet: Distribution & Habitat

Giant pandas only live in China

• Found in 6 remote, isolated mountain ranges in southwest China (Schaller et al. 1985; Swaisgood, Wang, et al. 2016; Swaisgood et al. 2020)
  • Eastern edge of Plateau of Tibet
  • Only occur in 3 Chinese provinces: Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu
• Range highly fragmented (Zhu et al. 2010; X. Li et al. 2015; Swaisgood, Wang, et al. 2016)
  • See Threats to Survival
• Distribution limited to western portion of giant panda’s historic range (see below) (Wei et al. 2012; Swaisgood, Wang, et al. 2016)

Elevation range

• Roughly 1,200 to 4,100 m (3,900 to 13,000 ft) (Chorn and Hoffman 1978; Schaller et al. 1985; Pan and Lü 1993; Garshelis 2009b; Hull et al. 2016; Swaisgood, Wang, et al. 2016; Yang et al. 2024)
• Lower limit
  • Historically, common at elevations below 1,000 m (3,000 ft) (eg, Schaller et al. 1985; LiFeng Zhu et al. 2013; Swaisgood, Wang, et al. 2016)
    • Land in most mountain valleys now used and occupied by humans (eg, Schaller et al. 1985)
    • Pandas pushed to elevations where agriculture is less productive (LiFeng Zhu et al. 2013; F. Wei, Swaisgood, et al. 2015)
• Upper limit
  • Bounded by growth of bamboo forest (Sheldon 1937; Schaller et al. 1985)
  • Presence above 4,000 m (13,000 ft), in alpine zones, likely only brief excursions (Sheldon 1937; Schaller et al. 1985; Ruan et al. 2021)
  • Higher elevation limit in southern mountain ranges (generally up to 3,600 m, or 12,000 ft) (Swaisgood et al. 2020; Ruan et al. 2021), compared to Northern Qinling Mountains (generally up to 2,600 m, or 8,500 ft) (Pan et al. 2014; Swaisgood et al. 2020)

Historic distribution

• Recent range changes
  • Occupy only a small portion of their former range (Hu and Wei 2004; Swaisgood et al. 2020)
  • Once widespread in southern and central China, occurring from Beijing to southern Asia (X. Li et al. 2015; Swaisgood, Wang, et al. 2016; Swaisgood et al. 2020)
  • Large range and population contractions during the past 300 years, especially early to mid-1900s (Zhu et al. 2010; LiFeng Zhu et al. 2013; Swaisgood, Wang, et al. 2016)
    • Period of rapidly expanding human populations, agriculture, and urbanization (LiFeng Zhu et al. 2013; X. Li et al. 2015; Swaisgood, Wang, et al. 2016)
    • Some local panda populations driven extinct (Zhu et al. 2010)
    • Remaining populations small and isolated (Swaisgood, Wang, et al. 2016; Kong et al. 2021)
      • See Population structure
• Prehistoric range
  • Extinct giant panda species ranged outside of modern China (Jin et al. 2007; Louys 2012; Han et al. 2019)
    • Fossils found in neighboring countries: Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, and northern Vietnam (Woodward 1915; Zeitoun et al. 2005; Jin et al. 2007; Louys et al. 2007; Han et al. 2019 citing Wang 1974)
  • Warming climate at end of Pleistocene ice age likely forced giant pandas into cooler, higher altitude habitats (Zhao et al. 2013; X. Li et al. 2015)
    • Followed bamboo food sources (Kleiman 1992; X. Li et al. 2015; Han et al. 2019)

Forest habitat

• Dependent on forests with adequate bamboo understory (Z. Zhang et al. 2011; Hull, Roloff, et al. 2014)
  • Coniferous, broad-leaf, shrub, and mixed-type forests (Ruan et al. 2021)
• Seek forests with moderate-to-high densities of bamboo (eg, Hull, Roloff, et al. 2014; Bai et al. 2020; Xu et al. 2022)
  • Bamboo provides cover and food (Schaller et al. 1985; Linderman et al. 2005; Z. Zhang et al. 2011; Li et al. 2017)
  • Also see Seasonal movements and Feeding
• Require access to streams and rivers for water (Zhang et al. 2014)
• Mother pandas need den sites (trees, caves) after giving birth (Zhu et al. 2001; Zhang et al. 2007b; Wei et al. 2019)
  • Large, old trees particularly important (Wei et al. 2019)
  • Also see Den selection

Habitat preferences

• Pandas prefer old-growth (“primary”) forest (Z. Zhang et al. 2011; Wang et al. 2015; Wei et al. 2019)
  • Use “secondary” forests (those recovering after cutting) as trees grow and mature (eg, W. Wei, Swaisgood, et al. 2018; Hong et al. 2021; Kang 2022)
    • Bamboo in secondary forests may have lower nutritional quality (Hong et al. 2016)
    • Increasing amount of forest recovering due to China’s enactment of deforestation prevention policies in the late 1990s (P. Zhang et al. 2000; d’Annunzio et al. 2015; Swaisgood et al. 2023)
• Use large trees for resting (Kang et al. 2017) and denning (Zhang et al. 2010; Wei et al. 2019)
  • Also see Communication for discussion of using trees for scent marking
• Prefer gentle slopes in undisturbed habitat (eg, Schaller et al. 1985; Wei et al. 2000; Zhang et al. 2006; Hull, Roloff, et al. 2014; Zhang et al. 2014; W. Wei, Han, et al. 2018; Ruan et al. 2021; Xu et al. 2022; Pu et al. 2024)
  • May use steeper slopes within core area (Bai et al. 2020), near developed land (Xu et al. 2022), or when other aspects of the habitat meet their needs (Hull et al. 2016)
    • More research needed to explain why pandas sometimes use steeper slopes (Vanessa Hull, personal communication, 2024)
• Remain close to rivers and streams during winter (Zhang et al. 2007; Zhang et al. 2014)
• Avoid habitat affected by landslides and probably flooding (Meng et al. 2016)
• Avoid areas used by humans, including settlements, farms, roads, and areas grazed by livestock (eg, Hull, Roloff, et al. 2014; Wang et al. 2015; W. Wei, Swaisgood, et al. 2018; Wanghe et al. 2020; Kang 2021; Ruan et al. 2021; Xu et al. 2022; Pu et al. 2024)
  • Move into lower-quality habitat to avoid human disturbance/activities (see Kerley et al. 2020; Xu et al. 2022)
  • Also avoid areas used by feral and free-roaming domestic dogs (in locations where dogs are present) (Callan et al. 2020)

Giant pandas live in 6 remote, isolated mountain ranges in southwest China.

In recent history, they were widespread in southern and central China. Some extinct giant panda species also lived in southern Asia.

Adapted from www.d-maps.com according to IUCN fact sheet. Click here or on map for detailed distribution (IUCN).