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Giant pandas are living fossils

Did you know that panda bears have roamed our Earth for over 3 million years? These 'living fossils' have outlived, the now extinct, stegodon (a big tusked elephant), and the Chinese rhinoceros. 

PX! Book one, A girl and her panda
written by Eric A. Anderson and Manny Trembley ; illustrated by Manny Trembley.
Berkeley, Calif. : Image Comics, c2007.
PX! is the story of a young girl named Dahlia who - with the help of her giant and trusty Panda sidekick - sets off on an epic journey around the globe to save her missing father. Unbeknownst to our heroes, Dad has been kidnapped by Pollo - an evil goat mastermind bent on taking over the world, and it's only a matter of time before Pollo's twisted machinations will be unleashed. Paths will be crossed, alliances will be formed and ninjas will be punched. Will this unlikely band of misfits be able to stop Pollo in time, or is it already too late for Dahlia's dad - and the world?
     
The lady and the panda : the true adventures of the first American explorer to bring back China's most exotic animal
By Vicki Constantine Croke.
Waterville, Me. : Thorndike Press, 2005.
#60; b #62;A New York Times Bestseller #60; /b #62; #60; P #62;Here is the true story of Ruth Harkness, the Manhattan socialite who took on the quest that cost her husband his life and trekked to Tibet in 1936 to capture a bear that had for centuries lived in secret in a labyrinth of cold, lonely mountains.
     
The lady and the panda : the true adventures of the first American explorer to bring back China's most exotic animal
Vicki Constantine Croke.
New York : Random House, c2005.
"Here is the true story of Ruth Harkness, the Manhattan bohemian socialite who, against all but impossible odds, trekked to Tibet in 1936 to capture the most mysterious animal of the day: a bear that had for countless centuries lived in secret in the labyrinth of lonely cold mountains. In The Lady and the Panda, Vicki Constantine Croke gives us the account of Ruth Harkness and her extraordinary journey, and restores Harkness to her rightful place along with Sacajawea, Nellie Bly, and Amelia Earhart as one of the great woman adventurers of all time." "Ruth was the toast of 1930s New York, a dress designer newly married to a wealthy adventurer, Bill Harkness. Just weeks after their wedding, however, Bill decamped for China in hopes of becoming the first Westerner to capture a giant panda - an expedition on which many had embarked and failed miserably. Bill was also to fail in his quest, dying horribly alone in China and leaving his widow heartbroken and adrift. And so Ruth made the fateful decision to adopt her husband's dream as her own and set off on the adventure of a lifetime." "It was not easy. Indeed, everything was against Ruth Harkness. In decadent Shanghai, the exclusive fraternity of white male explorers patronized her, scorned her, and joked about her softness, her lack of experience and money. But Ruth ignored them, organizing, outfitting, and leading a bare-bones campaign into the majestic but treacherous hinterlands where China borders Tibet. As her partner she chose Quentin Young, a twenty-two-year-old Chinese explorer as unconventional as she was, who would join her in a romance as impassioned as it was taboo. Traveling across some of the toughest terrain in the world - nearly impenetrable bamboo forests, slick and perilous mountain slopes, and boulder-strewn passages - the team raced against a traitorous rival, and was constantly threatened by hordes of bandits and hostile natives. The voyage took months to complete and cost Ruth everything she had. But when, almost miraculously, she returned from her journey with a baby panda named Su Lin in her arms, the story became an international sensation and made the front pages of newspapers around the world. No animal in history had gotten such attention. And Ruth Harkness became a hero." "Drawing extensively on American and Chinese sources, including diaries, scores of interviews, and previously unseen intimate letters from Ruth Harkness, Vicki Constantine Croke has fashioned a narrative about a woman ahead of her time. Part Myrna Loy, part Jane Goodall, by turns wisecracking and poetic, practical and spiritual, Ruth Harkness is a trailblazing figure."--BOOK JACKET.
     

There are two panda species, the giant panda and smaller red panda.  What makes the giant panda stand out is its distinct coloring of black and white. It has black fur on its ears, eye patches, muzzle, legs, and shoulders.  The rest of their coat is white.  While pandas may look cute, when provoked they will defend themselves and their offspring.

Giant pandas are listed as endangered in the World Conservation Union's (IUCN's) Red List of Threatened Animals. Unfortunately, there are only about 1,600 left in the wild. To help increase the population, zoos around the world include them in their breeding centers. More than 160 pandas have a home in these zoos.

Panda bear facts

Good at climbing trees

Live 20 years in the wild, 35 years in zoos

Swim well

Forepaws have an extra "thumb"

Has the largest molar teeth of any of the carnivores

Farming and forest clearing are two reasons why pandas no longer live in the lowland areas of China. Currently, most of the giant pandas live in a few mountain ranges in central China, in Sichuan, Shaanzi, and Gansu provinces.

The panda diet is almost exclusively bamboo. Other grasses, the odd rodent, or musk deer fawn make up the rest of their diet. Those living in zoos are fed meals that include: apples; bamboo; carrots; rice gruel; a special high-fiber biscuit; sugar cane; and sweet potatoes.

An interesting fact about the panda bear is that it does not hibernate. Due to their diet, they can not store enough food to survive hibernation. Bamboo just does not provide enough fat, even though they spend often 14 hours a day eating it!

The giant panda is the World Wildlife Federation's symbol.  This group continues its conservation efforts to increase the number of giant pandas so the world can enjoy watching them

Article by: St. Louis Public Library staff