How to Understand the Social Behaviors of Giant Pandas

In 1984, the Giant Panda was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Yet despite preservation efforts, it’s estimated there are still only about 1,000 Giant Pandas living in the wild, and 100 in captivity. Deforestation and habitat loss is to blame. The more we understand about the social behaviors of Giant Pandas, the harder it is to imagine losing this gentle, fascinating creature to human-caused extinction.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. 
    

   Give Giant Pandas their privacy. Giant Pandas like to be alone, and spend most of their lives that way. In fact, the only time they seem to actively and aggressively seek one another out is when males and females mate in the spring. However once the cub is born, it does spend every moment with its mother until it’s around 18 months old.

2. Listen to their vocalizations to understand the social behaviors of Giant Pandas. Though it does not have the typical growl of other bear species, the Giant Panda has 11 calls for different occasions. For instance, when giving a friendly greeting, it makes a bleating sound, like a goat. When mating, it makes a chirping sound. When in distress, it makes a honking sound. When defending itself, the Giant Panda makes a chomping sound by biting down firmly and quickly on its teeth. When trying to scare an enemy away, it makes a barking sound, like a dog. And when in pain or submission, the Giant Panda squeals.

3. Watch for the marking of trees. Giant Pandas have an anal gland that they use to secrete a scent onto trees. Their main form of communication, this is how the Giant Panda marks its territory. Incidentally, the male typically has a territory of 4.5 square miles and the female 1.6. These are both relatively small territories compared to that of other bears.

4. Pay attention to signs of aggression from Giant Pandas. In addition to the barking sound they use to scare enemies away, the bobbing of their head up and down is considered a threat, as is simply lowering the head and staring at the opponent. If it’s a close encounter, the Giant Panda will swipe at an enemy with its paws.

5. 
    

   Look for signs of peace or submission to understand the social behaviors of Giant Pandas. To signal that they’re not on the defensive, Giant Pandas may put their heads down between their legs, or simply turn their bodies away, and even cover their eyes with their paws.

6. Find pandas most active at twilight and nighttime. Though they spend most of the day feeding on bamboo, they prefer traveling in the dark.