Giant Pandas’ Behavior 大熊猫的生活习性

坎迪丝·宋文 闫清波译

Giant pandas spend their lives eating bamboo and walking around the forest floor. They are good climbers and can also swim. They dont build dens （except to put cubs in） or hibernate. They prefer shallow slopes and solitary living. If it is too cold up in the mountains they head down to the valleys where it is warmer.

Low-stress lifestyle

Because of their low-energy diet they avoid stressful situations and exertion， preferring shallow slopes and solitary living. They use scent markers to avoid one another. Giant pandas dont roar like other bears， but bleat like goats， or honk， growl， and bark to communicate1. Cubs whine and croak for attention.

Eating habits—14 hours a day

The giant pandas spend as long as 14 hours eating per day. A giant panda needs about 12 to 38 kilograms of food per day， approximately 40% of its own weight. The giant pandas prefer eating tender stems， shoots and leaves of bamboo， all of which are richer in nutrition and lower in fibrins.

Pandas eat golden bamboo. Each season they eat the best bits2. In April the best bit is the woody part3. At other times they eat the tips and discard the wood.

Wild giant pandas eat grasses， wild fruits， insects， mice， even lambs in the surrounding villages and leftovers in rubbish dumps as well.

Sleeping habits—2–4 hours sleep between meals

In addition to eating for about half a day， the giant pandas spend the rest of their time in sleeping.

In the wild， the giant pandas sleep for 2 to 4 hours between its two meals， whose favorite sleeping poses include lying flat on their backs， lying on their sides， lying on their stomachs， stretching their paws and rolling themselves up into balls.

The keepers feed giant pandas twice a day at regular times in the zoo， therefore， the giant pandas spend most of their spare time in rest， and they seem very lovely even during their sleeping time.

How they sleep

Pandas get into positions of various kinds with their seemingly clumsy bodies. Their favorite sleeping position is putting their hind paws on the trees with their front paws shading their eyes.

Fond of climbing trees—to protect themselves

The pandas are very nimble in climbing trees and run rapidly in danger. They propose to their partners， run away from danger and evade stronger competitors by climbing trees.

The giant pandas also walk into the valley， sneak into mountain villages or residences， which play with round-shaped utensils as toys and later abandon them in the wild.

Once in a while， the giant pandas also show their kindness to sheep and pigs by sharing food and rooms with them.

Solitariness—they like being alone

Panda families dont live together. They are solitary， each female having a well-defined range. Males generally live apart， except for in the short breeding season （March to May）， when they compete for female attention. Females raise the cubs alone.

With an uncommunicative and eccentric temperament， the giant pandas prefer freedom of being alone， and sleep in the daytime and look for food in the night. In addition to one month spent with their partners during mating season， most of their time is spent alone.

Docile temperament—seldom attacking men or other animals

The giant pandas have a very docile temperament in most cases， and they often lower their heads or shade their faces with front paws to conceal their true appearances when they come across a man for the first time. Seldom actively attacking men or other animals， the giant pandas always evade them when coming across them.

However， the giant pandas consider their cubs holy and untouchable once they give birth， and they will burst into rage at such small things as their cubs being watched by visitors. The giant pandas can stretch their paws and open their mouths wide like cats to make themselves more comfortable. They can also shake water off themselves like dogs after a heavy rain.

Communication—scent markings and sounds

Most communication among giant pandas is reached by scent markings left on the habitat， by which they can find their previous partners during mating season.

After finding their partners， they will communicate with sound， which is barely understood by humans， and they will remain silent when simply but playing. Therefore， we could predicate their behaviors simply by their sounds.

Scent markings for dividing territory

The secret to keeping peace in the habitat is dividing territory by scent markings. The giant pandas leave their glandular secretions4 on tree stumps， walls and ground in their habitats， by which they gather together or evade stronger competitors.

In the non-mating season， the giant pandas would walk away as soon as they smell scents of newcomers. In the mating season， the scent of a female giant panda means that she is ready for male pandas to mate.

In addition to glandular secretions， urine is also employed by pandas for scent markings. While making markings， the giant pandas usually shake their heads with mouths half open， and then strip the barks from trees where they urinate to attract attention of other pandas.

Mating from March to May

The female giant pandas are monestrous5， which usually falls in March to May and only lasts 2 to 3 days each time. The female giant pandas will leave their partners after mating and rear their cubs alone.

Giving birth from July to September

Giant panda gestation6 is about 83 to 200 days， and usually give birth from July to September. Cubs usually were born in hidden hollow trees or natural dens， where the branches and dry hays well-prepared by mother pandas are available. Normally， the giant pandas are monotocous and rarely multiparous. Even the female giant pandas have two cubs at one birth in the wild， they would choose to take care of one and abandon the other.

Owing to feeding on bamboos， the giant pandas need to spend long time in eating to get enough energy each day， and they will leave their cubs to hunt for food for 2 to 4 hours each day even in their child-care periods.

大熊猫终生以竹子为食，在林地四处走动。它们善于攀爬，也会游泳。它们不建窝（除了哺育幼崽），也不冬眠。大熊猫多在缓坡活动，喜欢独居。如果山上太冷，它们就会转移到更暖和的山谷。

轻松的生活方式

由于日常饮食能量低，所以大熊猫会避免紧张和劳累，喜欢在缓坡活动和独居。它们利用气味做标记，以免互相干扰。大熊猫不像其他熊类一样大声吼叫，而是像山羊一样咩咩叫，或者通过鸣叫、咆哮和吠叫进行交流。熊猫幼崽会发出呜呜声和呱呱声，以引起母亲注意。

饮食习惯：每天进食14小时

大熊猫每天进食时间长达14小时。一只大熊猫每天需要12到38公斤左右的食物，约为其体重的40%。大熊猫喜食嫩竹茎、竹笋和竹叶，这些食物营养更丰富，纤维蛋白含量更低。

大熊猫吃最好的竹子。它们会随季节变化，采食竹子的精华部分。4月份，竹茎是最佳选择;而其他时间，它们食用竹笋和竹叶，不再吃竹茎。

野生大熊猫以草、野果、昆虫、老鼠为食，甚至也会吃附近村庄的羊羔和垃圾堆里的剩菜。

睡眠习惯：两餐之间睡2至4小时

大熊猫每天约一半时间都在进食，其余时间用来睡觉。

在野外，大熊猫在两次进食间隙睡2至4小时。平躺、侧躺、俯卧、伸展四肢或缩成一团都是它们喜好的睡觉姿势。

在动物园里，饲养员每天两次定时给大熊猫喂食，所以它们大部分时间都在休息，大熊猫即使睡觉时看起来也很可爱。

睡眠姿势

大熊猫的身体看似笨重，却能摆出各种各样的姿势。后掌撑在树上，前掌遮住眼睛是它们最喜欢的睡眠姿势。

喜欢爬树：一种自我保护方式

熊猫爬树非常灵活，遇到危险能快速逃跑。它们通过爬树来求偶、避险、回避强者。

大熊猫还会步入山谷，潜入山村或民宅，把圆形的器皿当成玩具，玩耍后弃置山野。

有时大熊猫也会对羊和猪表示友好，分享食物和领地。

喜欢独居

熊猫家族不在一起生活。它们是独居动物，每只雌性大熊猫都有明确划分的活动区域。雄性大熊猫除了在短暂的繁殖季节（3月至5月）竞相吸引雌性的注意之外，通常也是单独生活。幼崽由雌性大熊猫独自抚养。

大熊猫不善交流，性情古怪，偏爱独居的自由。它们白天睡觉，晚上觅食。除了在交配季节和伴侣待一个月，它们大部分时间都是独自生活。

性情温顺：很少攻击人类或其他动物

通常情况下，大熊猫性情十分温顺，初次见人，常把头低下，或用前掌蒙面，不露真容。它们很少主动攻击人类或其他动物，与其偶遇时，也总是回避。

但一旦当上了妈妈，幼崽在它们眼中就变得神圣不可侵犯，即便是游客观望这种小事，也会惹怒它们。大熊猫可以像猫一样伸开爪子张大嘴，让自己更舒适。如果被大雨淋湿，它们也可以像狗一样抖掉雨水。

交流方式：气味标记和声音交流

大熊猫的交流大多通过在栖息地标记气味来进行。在交配季节，它们会通过气味标记找到之前的伴侣。

找到伴侶后，它们会用人类几乎听不懂的声音交流，如果只是在玩耍，它们就会保持安静。因此，我们只根据声音就可以判断大熊猫的行为。

用气味标记划分领地

大熊猫在栖息地能够和平相处的秘诀就是用气味标记来划分领地。它们将其腺体分泌物留在栖息地的树桩、墙壁和地面上，这些气味标记能让它们聚到一起或回避强者。

在非交配季节，一闻到陌生熊猫的气味，它们就会走开。而在交配季节，一只雌性大熊猫留下气味就表示它准备好与雄性交配。

除了腺体分泌物，大熊猫还用尿液做气味标记。做标记的时候，它们通常会半张嘴巴，晃动头部，然后剥掉排尿处树木的树皮，以引起其他熊猫的注意。

交配期：3月到5月

雌性大熊猫每年有一段发情期，通常出现在每年3月至5月，每次只持续2至3天。交配后它们会离开伴侣，独自抚养幼崽。

生产期：7月到9月

大熊猫妊娠期大约持续83至200天，一般在7月至9月生产。幼崽通常出生在隐蔽的树洞，或天然的洞穴，里面有大熊猫妈妈精心准备的树枝和干草。通常情况下，大熊猫一胎产一仔，很少产多仔。在野外，雌性大熊猫即使一胎产下两只幼崽，也会选择照顾其中一只而遗弃另一只。

由于以竹子为食，因此，大熊猫每天需要长时间进食来获得足够的能量，即便在育幼期，每天也要离开幼崽2至4小时外出觅食。

[译者单位：中国石油大学（北京）]

1熊猫在交配等愉悦的状态下，就会发出类似山羊咩咩声的颤抖音;而发怒时，就会发出类似犬吠的声音。

2 bit（事物的）一部分，一段。  3竹茎多为木质，此处the woody part译为竹茎。

4 glandular secretion腺体分泌物。  5 monestrous（每年）一次发情期的。

6 gestation妊娠期。