What adaptations helps pandas to survive in its natural habitat?

Answer 1

The panda bear has a thumb that helps them grab bamboo. The thumb that they have is actually apart of a greatly extended wristbone. They also move slowly. This is an example of a behavioral adaptation. They are capable of moving very fast. They just walk at a slow pace to conserve energy because their diet ( mainly plants and bamboo) does not contain a large amount of nutrition.

Answer 2

A Panda has a thumb that helps it grab its food. Its thumb is actually a part of a greatly extended wristbone. Since the panda lives in mountain forests, it is surrounded by plants and bamboo. They must use their opposable thumb to get plants to eat.

It has sharp teeth to help it cut bamboo and paws to help it climb, and thick fur for the winter.

Answer 3

Most of the Giant Panda's adaptations involve the bamboo that it relies on (99% of its diet is bamboo). It has developed a very large head due to its larger jaw muscles, required to bite and chew the thick bamboo. In addition, its molars (teeth) have been adapted to be very smooth and large, which is not normal among bears because bears are carnivores. Finally, their digestive system has adapted to their diet of bamboo. The esophagus and stomach has developed a strong lining so it will not tear, the intestines are shorter due to the high cellulose content of bamboo, and the colon is larger since it is putting much more into its body while producing waste less frequently.

Answer 4

Most of the Giant Panda's adaptations involve the bamboo that it relies on (99% of its diet is bamboo). It has developed a very large head due to its larger jaw muscles, required to bite and chew the thick bamboo. In addition, its molars (teeth) have been adapted to be very smooth and large, which is not normal among bears because bears are carnivores. Finally, their digestive system has adapted to their diet of bamboo. The esophagus and stomach has developed a strong lining so it will not tear, the intestines are shorter due to the high cellulose content of bamboo, and the colon is larger since it is putting much more into its body while producing waste less frequently.

Answer 5

The Giant Panda has many adaptations that helps it survive in the conditions that it lives in. Most of these adaptations are because of the Bamboo that the Panda eats to survive. Nutrition

The most obvious adaptation to help it eat many different types of Bamboo is its 'sixth toe'. The Giant Panda has five regular appendages that humans would consider toes or fingers. It also has a sixth 'thumb' that allows the Giant Panda to grasp Bamboo better for eating. It also helps the Panda pull the shoots and leaves off of Bamboo stems. The Pandas 'thumb' is actually an extension of the wrist bone. It is a very important adaptation for the Panda to be able to eat so much Bamboo.

The Giant Panda Bears head is also an adaptation to eating Bamboo. Giant Pandas are in the family Ursidae, which is the bear family. The Giant Panda has a very large head compared to the other species in its family. The head is so large because Bamboo is a very strong, hard plant. The Panda needs very strong jaw muscles to chew the Bamboo therefore the head has gotten larger to accommodate the larger jaw muscles. If the jaw muscles were not this strong, the Giant Panda would die off because Bamboo is its main source of food.

Another adaptation having to do with the Giant Pandas head is its molars. The molars of the Giant Panda have adapted to being very large and smooth. This makes the Giant Panda different from most bears because it only uses its molars to chew the very tough Bamboo. The molars are usually not very important in the Ursidae family because they use their canines to eat and kill food. Giant Pandas rarely use their canine teeth for anything. Photo: David Blank

The Giant Panda has a specialized digestive system for eating Bamboo as well.

Answer 6

larger head to accommadate jaw muscles large tough molars for their bamboo and a sixth toe for eating