It functions as an opposable thumb. The panda can move its pseudothumb independently and bring it into opposition with the first digit. This enables pandas to handle bamboo with dexterity and increases their foraging effieciency. The giant panda's feet are platigrade. The toes of both the forefeet and hindfeet turn in.
Pandas usually move at a walk, but they can also trot rapidly.
They are good climbers. Although giant pandas appear clumsy, they are able to move with ease and silence over steep terrain and through dense bamboo. Range Fossil evidence indicates that giant pandas were widely distributed throughout eastern China, as far north as Beijing, and as far west as Burma. Currently, they are only found in mountainous areas of southwestern China. The climate is cool and wet.