Pandas More Active Morning, Afternoon, Midnight and in the Spring

A research team headed by scientists at Michigan State University (MSU) has made some pretty remarkable discoveries about pandas recently, thanks to the data they have collected regarding the habits of these gentle giants.

The team fitted five pandas with GPS tracking collars, monitored their daily behaviors and discovered that the routines of these animals were not typical. Typically, mammals fall into one of three categories regarding their activity levels:

1. Nocturnal – They are active only at night.
2. Diurnal – They are active during the day.
3. Crepuscular – They are active twice a day, at dawn and dusk.

Prior to the study, it was assumed that Pandas fell into the third category; however, Jindon Zhang, one of the research associates in MSU’s center for System Integration and Sustainability, believes that these animals fall into a category all their own.

The pandas – three females and two males – reside in the Wolong Nature Reserve in southwestern China. The research team has been carefully studying the results of the information that they receive from each of the Pandas advanced GPS tracking devices over a two year period, from 2010 to 2012.

The study, which was recently published in the Journal of Mammalogy, had the purpose of answering questions about pandas behavior that have never before been asked.

Zhang mapped out how active the pandas were across 24-hour periods, as well as across seasons. He learned that their activity level ‘peaked’ throughout the day, in the morning, afternoon and at midnight. It is believed that the reason for their peculiar activity levels is directly related to their diet, which is made up entirely of bamboo. Bamboo is an incredibly low quality of food and doesn’t offer a lot in the way of nutrients and vitamins. As such, the pandas need to eat more to sustain their health and nourish their hunger.In addition to finding that the pandas were active at three different times of the day, it also discovered that they are more active in the spring. The reason for this is thought to be related to higher quality of bamboo that is available at this time the year, or that they are moving to the sounds of mating.

This panda study is the first of its kind. Previously, GPS tracking devices were not allowed to be used on the mammals because China is extremely protective of them. They made an exception for this study – and that exception yielded very interesting results.

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