Are pandas bears?
Pandas are mammals that belong to the bear family.
The main reason pandas are often identified as bears is because of their common name, “panda bear”.
However, there are many differences between pandas and most other species in the Ursidae family (the bear family).
These differences include patterning on fur coloration, number and shape of teeth, and overall size.
Pandas vs. Bears Fur Patterns
Bears typically have thick fur with black and white or red and yellow marking patterns to help with camouflage.
Pandas do not follow this patterning and most often have a grey body with black shoulders and ears, and light-colored legs.
The only distinctive marking is often a white patch on their eye.
While they move around easily in the bamboo forests of China, their fur would probably not provide adequate camouflage.
Pandas vs. Bears Diets
Pandas have large flat molars with very few cusps which help their digestive system.
This is unlike most bear species who have sharp cusped teeth to help with their carnivorous diets.
Pandas are herbivores who mainly eat bamboo leaves and stems.
They often consume up to 12 hours of the day just eating bamboo.
Their intestinal tract is more similar to cattle than it is to other bear species which means they cannot digest meat as efficiently as other bears.
The low-oxygen, low-nutrient bamboo is a challenge to digest and therefore it is one of the reasons they often defecate in large portions several times a day.
Bears are carnivores while pandas are herbivores, but pandas still look like bears and have many bear-like qualities.
Panda and Bear Physiology
Pandas also have disproportionately small heads with short snouts compared to most other bear species.
For animals that depend on smell as much as bears, this is especially important.
The way pandas use their sense of smell is very different from other bears, too.
Instead of smell, they use a strong sense of hearing and vision to move around in the forest and find food.
Pandas often seem lethargic and slow-moving.
They do this so they can use their energy efficiently.
Pandas conserve strength while moving slowly to avoid predators or because something might be wrong with them physically.
However, they don’t seem to fit all the criteria of what makes a bear a bear—but they do belong to the family.
Check out our other animal FAQs here:
