Why Is The Giant Panda Classed As A Carnivore When It Only Eats Bamboo?
The giant panda are members of the Ailuridae family, which are a subdivision of the suborder Carnivora, the carnivores. The panda is classed among the carnivores because it has carnassial teeth, once used by its distant ancestors for shearing through the meat on its prey. Over the course of evolution, it has adapted to eat an entirely vegetarian diet, the only species in the Carnivora that has taken this path. Its carnassial teeth have reverted to grinding surfaces for chewing bamboo. The giant panda is now very rare because its decision to rely heavily on bamboo as its major food source has been a bit of a disaster. In their natural habitat, pandas are now extremely rare. As well as being short of bamboo, the panda is a very shy and solitary creature that does not respond well to human settlements. The panda population that remains has been spread so thinly that those that are left find it impossible to find a mate. A few pandas have been bred in captivity but the panda does not respo
