The Western China’s rare and elusive Giant Panda’s diet is 99% bamboo, of which they consume up-to 20kg of this nutritionally poor plant, each day. They will occasionally eat other grasses and tubers and captive Giant Panda’s are also fed honey and fruit.
Giant panda (Ailuropoda Melanoleuca) feeding on bamboo at Bifengxia Giant Panda Breeding and Conservation Center, Yaan, Sichuan, China. By Eric Baccega // naturepl.com
Although commonly known as herbivorous, Giant Pandas actually belong to the carnivorous family along with other bear species. At some point in their distant past their diet changed to become almost exclusively plant based. Scientists are still uncertain to the reasons behind this diet change but it could be attributed to a climate / habitat change leading to a poor supply of available meat. Although it has been observed that wild Giant Pandas will actively hunt birds and rodents or scavenge for carrion this is the first time that this behaviour has been caught on camera.