The scientific name for the giant panda is Ailuropoda melanoleuca. They are classified as an endangered species. In addition to 1,000 giant pandas in the wild, there are about 127 in captivity.
Giant pandas live in zoos in China, the United States, Mexico, Japan, Germany, and North Korea.
A cub nurses for about four months and then begins to nibble on bamboo. By the age of six months, it no longer nurses. Males and females come together briefly to mate. Young pandas stay with their mothers for up to 18 months. Now they are found only in a small part of China.