Giant pandas and red pandas, explained
PandasWise is a free, plain language guide to the world's two pandas. The giant panda is a black and white bear from the mountains of central China that lives almost entirely on bamboo and is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. The red panda is a much smaller, tree climbing mammal from the Himalayas and southwest China; it is not a bear, it sits in its own family, and it is listed as Endangered. Every page here cites its sources.
Giant panda facts Red panda facts Where to see pandasWhere to see pandas: our verified zoo list
Our flagship guide lists, country by country, the zoos and reserves where you can see giant pandas and red pandas. Every entry was checked against the zoo's own official page on 8 October 2026 and links to it, so you can plan a visit with confidence.
Where to see pandas
Zoos and reserves by country, each checked on its official page on 8 October 2026.
Giant panda
Size, the pseudo thumb, cubs, lifespan and status.
Red panda
The "first panda": family, two species, life in the trees.
Diet
How much bamboo pandas eat and why it barely feeds them.
Behavior
Daily routine, scent marking, calls, breeding and cubs.
Habitat and range
Mountain bamboo forests, elevations and the national park.
Conservation
From Endangered to Vulnerable, and what still threatens them.
Giant vs red panda
Side by side comparison table of the two pandas.
Panda FAQ
Myths and facts, answered with sources.
Glossary
Pseudo thumb, delayed implantation, crepuscular and more.
Blog
Answer first posts on the questions people actually ask.
Quick facts
- China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration put the wild giant panda population at nearly 1,900 in 2025, up from about 1,100 in the 1980s (conservation).
- About 99% of a giant panda's diet is bamboo, and it spends 10 to 16 hours a day foraging and eating (diet).
- A newborn giant panda weighs roughly 85 to 140 g, about 1/900th of its mother's weight (cubs).
- The red panda was described by Western science in 1825, decades before the giant panda, and is the only living member of the family Ailuridae (red panda).
- As of 8 October 2026, we have verified giant pandas at 21 zoos in 16 countries outside mainland China, plus Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan (where to see them).