According to a recent study conducted by researchers in China pandas have a low metabolism. Scientists have long wondered how pandas whose bodies are equipped to eat meat can survive eating only low-nutrient food such as bamboo. It seems that they have now found the answer. The paper was published in the journal Science.
The research team at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Zoology has shown that giant pandas have a very low DEE (daily energy expenditure). The team was led by Dr. Yonggang Nie. The researchers found out that the daily energy expenditure of the pandas was almost 38 percent of the daily energy expenditure of other animals with similar sizes.
Panda’s main source of food, bamboo, has a very little nutritional value and this is the reason why the bears have to eat between 10 to 40 kg in order to satisfy their energy needs. It seems that the answer to this is the low energy demand.
For the study the researchers measured the metabolic rate of both wild and captive pandas. The team studied eight animals in total: three wild pandas and five captive ones. Researchers used GPS loggers which were attached to the animals. This enabled them to find out that pandas rest for more than half of the day and when they move they make 20 meter a hour.
Finding out that the DEE of the panda was 38 percent of a mammal with the same weight indicates that for example a 90-kg bear expends less than half of the energy of a human who has 90 kg as well.
The researchers also noted that the DEE of the panda bears is noticeably lower than the one of koalas and closer to sloths’ DEE. The issue with having such a low metabolism is the fact that the bears have a difficult time keeping warm. The researchers also used a thermal camera to measure the surface temperature of the animals. They discovered that even though the thick fur of the pandas traps the inside body heat, but it is however much lower than other animals that what black and white fur such as Dalmatian dogs or zebras.
Professor Fuwen Wei from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Zoology remarked:
“It is my long-time dream to accomplish this fascinating study to understand how low the giant panda metabolism would be, and why the giant pandas can survive on their specialized and low quality bamboo diet. Finally we have done it.”
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