Bamboo-zled: Scientists find pandas do nearly nothing at all to survive

Pandas are really cool - burning up exceptionally few calories in order to survive on their meagre bamboo diet, scientists have learned. A 196 pound panda expends less than half the energy of a human with the same weight, research shows. The panda’s energy-saving metabolism allows it to live on a diet consisting almost entirely of low-calorie bamboo.

“Pandas save a lot of energy by being frugal with the energy they spend on physical activity.

Professor John Speakman,University of Aberdeen

Professor John Speakman, from the University of Aberdeen and Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: "Using GPS loggers we discovered that pandas rest for more than half of the day and on average, only travelled at 20 metres an hour. However, it is not only their low activity that contributes to their low metabolism; the metabolic rate of an active panda is still lower than a completely stationary human.” A big problem with having such a low metabolic rate is keeping warm. Pandas have thick fur to trap their body heat but their surface temperature is much lower than that of other black and white animals such as zebras and Dalmatian dogs, said researchers.

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