Editing Giant panda (section)

==Description==
{{Multiple image |direction=vertical |image1=Giant Panda Skull.JPG |caption1=The skull of a giant panda at the [[Smithsonian Museum of Natural History]] |image2=Panda géant - tête (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) (2).jpg |caption2=Close-up of giant panda at ZooParc in Beauval, France}}
The giant panda has a body shape typical of bears. It has black fur on its ears, limbs, shoulders and around the eyes. The rest of the animal's coat is white.<ref name="Dudley 9">{{cite book |last=Dudley |first=K. |title=Giant Pandas |publisher=[[Weigl Educational Publishers Limited]] |year=1997 |isbn=0-919879-87-X |edition=Illustrated |series=Untamed world |pages=9–26}}</ref> The bear's distinctive coloration appears to serve as [[camouflage]] in both winter and summer environments as they do not [[hibernate]]. The white areas serve as camouflage in snow, while the black shoulders and legs conceal them in shade.<ref name="Caro"/> Studies in the wild have found that when viewed from a distance, the panda displays [[disruptive coloration]], while up close, they rely more on [[Camouflage#Resemblance to surroundings|blending in]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nokelainen |first1=O. |last2=Scott-Samuel |first2=N. E. |last3=Nie |first3=Y. |last4=Wei |first4=F. |last5=Caro |first5=T. |year=2021 |title=The giant panda is cryptic|journal=Scientific Reports |volume=11 |issue=21287 |page=21287 |doi=10.1038/s41598-021-00742-4 |pmid=34711890 |pmc=8553760 |bibcode=2021NatSR..1121287N }}</ref> The black ears may be used to display aggression,<ref name=Caro>{{cite journal |last1=Caro |first1=T. |last2=Walker |first2=H. |last3=Rossman |first3=Z. |last4=Hendrix |first4=M. |last5=Stankowich |first5=T. |year=2017|title=Why is the giant panda black and white?|journal=Behavioral Ecology |volume=28 |issue=3 |pages=657–667 |doi=10.1093/beheco/arx008 |doi-access=free}}</ref> while the eye patches might facilitate them identifying one another.<ref name=Caro/><ref name="Morell p.">{{cite journal |last=Morell |first=V. |title=How pandas got their patches |journal=Science |date=2017 |doi=10.1126/science.aal0840 |page=}}</ref> The giant panda's thick, woolly coat keeps it warm in the cool forests of its habitat.<ref name="Dudley 9"/>

The panda's skull shape is typical of [[durophagous]] carnivorans. It has evolved from previous ancestors to exhibit larger molars with increased complexity and expanded temporal fossa.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ellis |first=R. |title=No turning back: the life and death of animal species |edition=illustrated |year=2004 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=0-06-055803-2 |page=315 |url=https://archive.org/details/noturningbacklif00elli/page/315}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Figueirido |first1=B. |author2=Tseng, Z. J. |author3=Martín-Serra, A. |title=Skull shape evolution in durophagous carnivorans |journal=Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution |date=2013 |volume=67 |issue=7 |pages=1975–93 |doi=10.1111/evo.12059 |pmid=23815654 |s2cid=23918004 |doi-access=free|hdl=10630/32909 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> A study revealed that a {{cvt|117.5|kg}} giant panda had a bite force of 1298.9 [[Newton (unit)|Newton]] (BFQ 151.4) at canine teeth and 1815.9 Newton (BFQ 141.8) at carnassial teeth.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Christiansen |first1=P. |last2=Wroe |first2=S. |title=Bite forces and evolutionary adaptations to feeding ecology in carnivores |journal=Ecology |year=2007 |volume=88 |issue=2 |pages=347–358 |pmid=17479753 |doi=10.1890/0012-9658(2007)88[347:BFAEAT]2.0.CO;2 |url=https://www.academia.edu/239888 |access-date=3 November 2017 |archive-date=4 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204024321/https://www.academia.edu/239888 |url-status=live}}</ref>
Adults measure around {{cvt|1.2|to|1.9|m}} long, including a tail of about {{cvt|10|-|15|cm}}, and {{cvt|60|to|90|cm}} tall at the [[shoulder]].<ref name=Arkive>{{citation |url=http://www.arkive.org/giant-panda/ailuropoda-melanoleuca/#text=Facts |title=Giant Panda |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223123307/http://www.arkive.org/giant-panda/ailuropoda-melanoleuca/#text=Facts |archive-date=23 December 2014 |publisher=Arkive}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.giantpandaonline.org/naturalhistory/description.htm |title=Physical Description |publisher=Giant Panda Species Survival Plan |access-date=26 October 2011 |archive-date=4 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111204035805/http://www.giantpandaonline.org/naturalhistory/description.htm}}</ref> Males can weigh up to {{cvt|160|kg}}.<ref>{{cite book |last=Boitani |first=L. |title=Simon & Schuster's Guide to Mammals |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] / [[Touchstone Books]] |year=1984 |isbn=978-0-671-42805-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GcOaQgAACAAJ |access-date=27 September 2020 |archive-date=4 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204024424/https://books.google.com/books?id=GcOaQgAACAAJ |url-status=live}}</ref> Females are generally 10–20% smaller than males.<ref name="Bearalmanac">{{cite book |author=Brown, Gary |title=Great Bear Almanac |year=1996 |page=340 |publisher=[[The Lyons Press]] |isbn=1-55821-474-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/greatbearalmanac00gary |url-access=registration}}</ref> They weigh between {{cvt|70|kg}} and {{cvt|125|kg}}.<ref name=wwf1>{{cite web |url=http://panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/species/our_solutions/endangered_species/giant_panda/index.cfm |title=Global Species Programme&nbsp;– Giant panda |publisher=World Wildlife Fund |date=2007 |access-date=22 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704204350/http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/species/our_solutions/endangered_species/giant_panda/index.cfm |archive-date=4 July 2008}}</ref><ref name=Arkive/><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.science.smith.edu/msi/pdf/i0076-3519-110-01-0001.pdf |journal=Mammalian Species |issue=110 |pages=1–6 |title=''Ailuropoda melanoleuca'' |author1=Chorn, J. |author2=Hoffmann, R. S. |date=1978 |access-date=5 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924121859/http://www.science.smith.edu/msi/pdf/i0076-3519-110-01-0001.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref> The average weight for adults is {{cvt|100|to|115|kg}}.<ref>{{cite web |website=Animal Fact Guide |url=http://www.animalfactguide.com/animalfacts/giant-panda/ |title=Giant panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca |year=2011 |access-date=19 September 2011 |archive-date=14 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110914163019/http://www.animalfactguide.com/animalfacts/giant-panda/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The giant panda's [[paw]] has [[Sesamoid bone#Other animals|a digit similar to a thumb and five fingers]]; the thumb-like digit – actually a modified [[sesamoid bone]] – helps it to hold bamboo while eating.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Abella |first1=J. |last2=Pérez-Ramos |first2=A. |last3=Valenciano |first3=A. |last4=Alba |first4=D. M. |last5=Ercoli |first5=Marcos D. |last6=Hontecillas |first6=Daniel |last7=Montoya |first7=P. |last8=Morales |first8=J. |date=2015 |title=Tracing the origin of the panda's thumb |journal=The Science of Nature |volume=102 |issue=5 |pages=35 |doi=10.1007/s00114-015-1286-3 |pmid=26036823 |bibcode=2015SciNa.102...35A |hdl=11336/41623 |hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=X. |last2=Su |first2=D. F. |last3=Jablonski |first3=N. G. |last4=Ji |first4=X. |last5=Kelley |first5=J. |last6=Flynn |first6=L. J. |last7=Deng |first7=T. |date=2022 |title=Earliest giant panda false thumb suggests conflicting demands for locomotion and feeding |journal=Scientific Reports |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=10538 |doi=10.1038/s41598-022-13402-y |pmid=35773284 |pmc=9246853 |bibcode=2022NatSR..1210538W}}</ref> The giant panda's tail, measuring {{cvt|10|to|15|cm}}, is the second-longest in the bear family, behind the [[sloth bear]].<ref name=Bearalmanac/>