Giant Pandas and Their Relatives

Is a giant panda a bear or a cat? In fact, giant pandas belong to the bear family. Bears are a collective term for carnivorous animals in the family Ursidae of the order Mammalia. There are a total of 8 species currently living in the world, except for giant pandas, all of which are called "XX bear" and each has its own unique characteristics.

Panda & relatives

1. Andean bear

The bear with glasses has a black ring around its eye socket, which looks like it is wearing a pair of glasses, hence its name. Due to living in the Andes Mountains of South America, also known as the Andean bear, it is the only surviving bear species in the southern hemisphere. Andean Bear likes to eat fruits of pineapple plants and are the least fond of meat after giant pandas.

2. Asiatic Black Bear

Asiatic Black Bear lives in Asia and almost wear a "black sweater" all over their body. The white fur on their chest looks like the letter V or crescent moon, so they are also known as "moon bears".

3. Sloth Bear

Sloth Bear lives in forests and grasslands in countries and regions such as Sri Lanka, India, and Bhutan in Asia. They also have V-shaped white fur on their chests, and the color of most individuals is similar to that of Asian black bears. Compared to other bears, sloth bears have longer snouts and can lick termites like anteaters.

4. American black bear

The American black bear lives on the North American continent and is larger in size than the Asian black bear. The largest known individual weighs 400 kilograms, which is twice as heavy as the largest Asian black bear. The biggest difference between American black bears and their Asian relatives, apart from their body shape, is the absence of white fur on their chests. In terms of blood relationship, they are closer to brown bears and polar bears than Asian black bears.

5. Malay bears

Malay bears live in Malaysia, Bangladesh, as well as Sumatra and Kalimantan islands, and are the smallest bears in the world, with adult males weighing no more than 80 kilograms. The most prominent feature of the Malay bear is the white or gold U-shaped markings on its chest.

6. Brown bear

The brown bear is found throughout Asia, Europe, and America, making it the most widely distributed bear in the world. The brown bear has a strong body with obvious muscle bulges in the front of its back. The body size of different subspecies of brown bears varies greatly, with the smaller Syrian brown bear weighing only over 100 kilograms and the largest Kodiak brown bear weighing over 700 kilograms. Among numerous brown bears, the North American brown bear is also known as the "grizzly bear" due to its gray fur. The Xizang brown bear, also known as the red bear, is called "blue bear" because of its black and blue coat.

7. Polar bear

The polar bear is the largest bear in the world today, with a maximum individual weight of 800 kilograms. Although nicknamed the white bear, it can be seen from the area around the eyes, nose, inside of the ears, and soles of the feet that the skin of polar bears is actually black. It looks pure white, just the result of hollow hair reflecting sunlight in the icy and snowy environment. Unlike other members of the bear family who mainly consume omnivorous food, polar bears need to supplement a large amount of fat and protein due to their harsh living environment, making them "pure carnivores".

Giant pandas have typical characteristics of carnivores: developed limbs, sharp claws, powerful canine teeth, and split teeth. Giant pandas have typical characteristics of carnivores: developed limbs, sharp claws, and powerful canine teeth. According to DNA information comparison, it was found that giant pandas and bears are closely related.

Carnivorous family: As an important group at the top of the food chain, carnivorous animals are commonly known as fierce beasts. They have sharp and powerful teeth, are mostly agile in body shape, have flexible limbs, and sharp claws on their toes, which are conducive to hunting. There are 11 families, 89 genera, and 250 species, widely distributed worldwide. Giant pandas, who enjoy eating bamboo, are also carnivores and have gradually evolved to rely on bamboo as their main food. Therefore, pandas are also aggressive and to some extent dangerous.

In a conclusion, there are seven species belonging to the bear family (polar bear, brown bear, Asian black bear, American black bear, Malay bear, spectacled bear, and sloth bear), all of which are relatives of panda bears.