Stats

Lifespan: 20-30 yrs
Size: Large
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Crepuscular
Social: Solitary
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: East Asia
Movement: Walking
Breeding: Live Birth
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Vulnerable

About

A bamboo-loving bear from the misty mountains of south-central China, blocky and contemplative as it shells stalks for twelve hours a day. A wrist-bone "pseudo-thumb" gives it a sixth digit for gripping cane, and newborn cubs weigh roughly a thousandth of their mother.

Life cycle

1.
newborn cub
A tiny, blind cub is born in the winter den and nurses against its mother for warmth.
2.
juvenile
A juvenile follows its mother to forage, climbs trees for safety, and learns what's good to eat.
3.
adult
Fully grown and ranging on its own.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae
Genus: Ailuropoda
Species: Ailuropoda melanoleuca