Dear Readers,
Some of the information in this fact sheet, like a panda, has become fuzzy. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is working to bring you an updated version of the Giant Panda Fact Sheet with additional science and conservation information. Thanks for your patience, as we quietly leaf through the research literature.
In the meantime, this recent book chapter by Swaisgood et al. (2020) presents an outstanding summary of giant panda biology.
Please check back soon. SDZWA team members can email questions to library@sdzwa.org.
Want to munch on more panda facts? Read SDZWA's latest Stories and news releases.
Common names
Taxonomic history
Taxonomic distinctions
Carnivore diversity and evolution
Fossil records
Family Ursidae
Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
Archaeological excavations
Early reference to pandas
Traditional Tibetan mythology
"Discovery" by the western world
Popular culture references
Describer (Date): David, 1869
Kingdom: Animal
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora (15 families)
Family: Ursidae (Bears)
Genus: Ailuropoda (Milne-Edwards, 1870)
Species: Ailuropoda melanoleuca (David, 1869)
Classification according to ITIS (2010)
The Chinese characters for Giant Panda translate to "large bear cat."
Binda-Emonds (2004)
Catton (1990)
Figueirido et al. (2011)
Hunt (2004)
ITIS (2010)
Jin et al. (2007)
Lu et al. (2008)
O' Brien (1985)
O'Brien (1989)
Ryder (1987)
Wan et al. (2005)
Wu & Zhou (2005)
Zang et al. (2007a)