The giant panda or greater panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca David , 1869 ) is a mammal belonging to the ursid family . Native to central China , it lives in the mountainous regions of Sichuan ; towards the second half of the 20th century , it became a Chinese national emblem, depicted on Chinese gold ( Golden Panda series ) and silver ( Silver Panda series) coins since 1982 , as well as being the symbol of the WWF .
Characteristics
The scientific name is Ailuropoda melanoleuca , from the Ancient Greek literally meaning cat's foot- black and white . The term panda most likely derives from the Nepali ponya . Despite the fact that according to taxonomy it is a carnivore , its diet is essentially that of a herbivore . In fact, it feeds almost exclusively on bamboo (up to 40 kg per day). Technically, like many other animals, it is omnivorous (it is known that the panda accompanies its bamboo-based meals with eggs , insects and occasionally carrion ). However, the panda does not eat much meat because about 4.2 million years ago the T1R1 gene mutated, causing it to lose the ability to perceive the umami flavour, which gives the flavour to meat for omnivores and carnivores [ 2 ] . Its ears move during chewing.