Giant panda eating bamboo, Chengdu, China

© Suzi Eszterhas/Minden Picture

Somewhat bamboo-zled. Giant panda eating bamboo

Do you like scrolling through lighthearted videos of giant pandas wobbling around? These bamboo-munching creatures, with their distinctive black and white coats and playful demeanour, have captivated hearts for years. Despite being classified within the order Carnivora, giant pandas have a predominantly herbivorous diet, with bamboo shoots and leaves constituting over 99% of their food intake. In captivity, their diet may include other items such as honey, yams, eggs, fish, shrub leaves, bananas or oranges with food tailored to their nutritional needs. Pandas were initially believed to adhere to a crepuscular pattern of activity, being active at dawn and dusk. However, recent studies suggest that pandas may exhibit peaks in the morning, afternoon and even at midnight. In 1961, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) adopted the animal as its iconic logo.