Behavior

Given the low nutritional quality and low digestibility of bamboo, it is likely that pandas will demonstrate a preference for the species of bamboo that provide the greatest nutritional value and energy intake per quantity consumed. The purpose of our study was to determine whether two captive giant pandas exhibit preferences among three bamboo species. We hypothesized that the pandas would prefer species with larger leaves and culms that are smaller in diameter than other species.    [details]

The goal of this study was to assess a large number of male and female pandas in Chinese facilities and determine what characteristics of exhibitry, husbandry, breeding management, and animal temperament correlate with normal courtship and reproductive behavior.    [details]

This article is an overview of the Giant Panda behavior research program at the San Diego Zoo.     [details]

The acquisition of two young pandas at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park provided us with the opportunity to increase the sample size and our understanding of captive pandas whose activity patterns have been documented. Our objectives in this study were to 1) identify biological rhythms in a new pair of young, captive pandas housed at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, 2) compare their rhythms and activities with those of the previous pair of pandas housed at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, and 3) identify seasonal changes in activity.    [details]

We designed a series of studies to examine the foraging strategies used by the giant pandas. The study was initially conducted with the pandas at Zoo Atlanta. It was then expanded to include the pandas at both the Smithsonian National Zoological Park and the San Diego Zoo. The specific goal of the study was to determine the type of information pandas use to make foraging decisions.    [details]