Holding Pandas

August 08, 2008

If you happen to be in China now, or are planning a future trip, it's hard to resist the "hold a panda on your lap" opportunity at Chengdu's Panda Breeding and Research Center. For about 125 U.S. dollars, you're outfitted with a smock and get to hold, lap kitty style, a giant panda for 2 minutes. The panda, in turn, seems perfectly happy noshing on a bamboo shoot dipped in honey. This'll all make more sense once you watch the below.

The Giant Panda Genome Project is also well underway at Britain's Cardiff School of Biosciences. The panda is often referred to as a ‘living fossil,' given evidence that its ancestors existed in China more than 8 million years ago. Research by Cardiff's Mike Bruford previously found that the decline of the species can be linked directly to human activities (not lap holding) rather than a genetic inability to adapt and evolve.

(Credit Yange Yong)


Not much research has been done on a genomic scale, however. The giant panda genome is approximately the same size as the human genome, and is thought to have 20,000-30,000 genes. Taxonomy and genetic studies indicate that the giant panda is most closely related to bears, not to raccoons as was once considered, given their unique physical characteristics.

Bruford said, "This international collaboration will help scientists to understand the genetic basis for the giant panda’s unique adaptations, including its dietary specialization, and will reveal the history of the species in unparalleled detail."

Back to panda holding, Samantha Brown over at The Travel Channel (now owned by Cox, not Discovery) recently held a giant panda, as well as a little critter known as a red panda.

And it's hard to forget Brown's Great Wall "trip." Traversing the wall's steep paths and stairs could be considered another Olympic event.