Why are pandas black and white?

But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids

Vermont Public

Nature, Language, Kids & Family, Science

4.4 • 4.9K Ratings

🗓️ 3 June 2022

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

For the past 50 years, visitors to the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C. have been able to observe giant pandas. It’s one of the few places in the United States to see these black and white bears. For our latest episode we took a field trip to the zoo to visit the three pandas currently living there and answer panda questions with zookeeper Mariel Lally. We tackle: Why do animals live in the zoo? Why are pandas black and white? Do pandas hibernate? How can we save the pandas? And check out our social media pages for lots of pictures!

Download our learning guides: PDF | Google Slide | Transcript

Three pandas live at the National Zoo: adults Tian Tian and Mei Xiang and their cub, Xiao Qi Ji.
Zookeepers are never in the same space as the pandas. Even though they are herbivores, pandas are still wild animals with sharp claws and big teeth, so it’s important for people to stay safe.
Researchers at the National Zoo have worked with colleagues in China on a breeding program for both captive and wild pandas. That research has helped pandas go from endangered to vulnerable. They’re still at risk of extinction, but doing better than they were just a few decades ago.
Pandas eat 100 pounds of bamboo per day! The National Zoo cuts bamboo from sites around the D.C. area, including at some local private homes.
Researchers aren’t sure why pandas are black and white, but the leading theory is that the white color provides camouflage in their snowy natural habitat and the black fur helps them blend in when they hide in shady bamboo forests. Panda cubs do have predators in the wild.
Pandas do not hibernate, but they spend their time eating or sleeping. They have a period of deep sleep, similar to the torpor of reptiles. Keepers say they try not to wake sleeping pandas because they get very grumpy! (So the saying, “Never wake a sleeping bear” is especially true for pandas.)
Zoo pandas get daily training to make their care easier. For example, they learn their names and they are taught to open their mouths and show a paw so they can more easily receive medical care.
Zoos used to display animals primarily for human enjoyment. Now, most zoos focus on species conservation, research and educating the public about animal species.

Resources

National Zoo’s Panadriffic Pack (games and coloring pages)

Panda Cam

Transcript

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0:00.0	But why? A podcast for curious kids is known for serious answers to silly questions sent
0:07.0	in by kids just like you. But did you know that but why is now a book series?
0:12.9	Our first book, Our Lama's Ticklish, answers questions from real kids about farm animals.
0:18.8	This colorfully illustrated book is perfect for kids ages 8 to 10. And our second book,
0:24.4	To Fish Breathe Underwater, explores the underwater world of the ocean. Learn more at But Why Kids.org
0:30.7	Slash Books.
0:53.5	This is But Why, a podcast for curious kids from Vermont Public Radio. I'm Jane Lindholm.
0:59.3	In this show, we answer questions from you, kids listening around the world, and it's
1:03.6	our job to find answers for you. Usually we're doing that work from our home base here in Vermont.
1:09.5	But sometimes we get to go report from other places, and we take your questions with us.
1:15.1	For this episode, we got to go on a field trip to learn a little bit more about an animal
1:19.4	that sounds like this. That was a newborn. Do you know what it is? Let's hear what this
1:28.5	animal sounds like when it's a kid. These animals can bleed, honk, and chirp, roar,
1:40.0	and squeal. Got any guesses? We'll give you two more examples. Here's an adult female
1:47.0	and an adult male. Want to know the answer? Those are the sounds made by Pandas. The
1:59.7	giant panda is a bear that lives in the wild in China. Unfortunately, we did not get to
2:05.7	go to China to report this episode, but we did get to go to one of the few places in
2:10.7	the United States where you can meet one of these bears, the National Zoo in Washington,
2:17.4	National Zoo has been taking care of pandas for 50 years now, and what you just heard
2:22.1	is from their panda exhibit, where you can read all about the bears and their behavior
2:26.9	and play their various calls. But you don't just get to read about pandas, you get to see
2:32.5	them. There are three pandas living at the zoo right now. An adult male named Chen Chen,
	...

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