The panda is anatomically a carnivore with a simple stomach and short intestines adapted for digesting meat. The panda has overcome these problems by barely chewing and digesting its food and by passing it through its body in only five to eight hours. The skin is pink and almost naked, and the eyes are sealed until the baby is more than a month old. The mother often gives birth to two cubs, but abandons one to hold, suckle, and take care of the other. So, the birth of a second cub is little more than insurance in the event the firstborn is not viable.
Newborn cubs require constant care until they are nearly a month old.
As the cub matures, the mother sometimes leaves it alone for as long as 52 hours. The cubs begin to walk at three to four months, to eat bamboo at five to six months, and are fully weaned at eight to nine months. They leave their mothers at about 18 months and attain sexual maturity after five or six years. Pandas can live up to 30 years in captivity. Although pandas are solitary animals except during mating, they will share all or part of their range with other pandas.