panda

Everyday

1. A panda (giant panda) is a large black-and-white bear from the mountain forests of China that eats almost only bamboo. tree →
2. A red panda is a smaller, reddish-brown, furry animal with a long ringed tail; it also eats bamboo but is not a close relative of the giant panda. tree →
3. (UK, old-fashioned) A «panda car» was a small police car. tree →

In the lessons

In science and geography lessons pandas come up in habitats, food chains, adaptations (a special wrist bone works like a thumb to grip bamboo) and conservation: there are not many wild pandas, and protecting their bamboo forests helped their numbers grow. In everyday life pandas are a symbol of wildlife protection (the WWF logo) and of China, and are favourite soft toys and zoo animals.

Examples

• The panda munched bamboo for most of the day. tree →
• Giant pandas live in the mountains of China. tree →
• A baby panda is tiny and pink when it is born. tree →
• The red panda curled its bushy tail around itself to keep warm. tree →
• Our class adopted a panda through a wildlife charity. tree →
• Pandas have a special wrist bone that helps them hold bamboo. tree →
• There were huge crowds at the zoo to see the new panda cub. tree →
• The panda is the symbol of a famous nature charity. tree →

Note

Plural «pandas». A baby is a «cub». Myth: pandas are not lazy — bamboo has little energy in it, so they rest a lot to save energy. The giant panda is a real bear; the red panda is not a bear and is in a family of its own. Pandas are black and white, not black and grey.