Panda 101 ∣ Seasons When Giant Pandas Gain the Most Weight

Giant pandas can also experience seasonal weight gain! Do you know when they bulk up most during the year? 

Pandas mainly survive on bamboo, and they eat different parts of it—bamboo stems, leaves and shoots. Notably, bamboo shoots sprout in spring and autumn, which are also the pandas' breeding seasons.

As food sources change with the seasons, so does the gut micro biota of many animals. When bamboo shoots are in season, pandas develop a different set of gut microbes that help them gain weight more easily.

(Photo generated by AI)