The giant panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, which looks like a bear, has been classified in the bear family, Ursidae; it also has been placed in the raccon family, Procyonidae. The giant panda and the red panda, Ailurus fulgens, are now considered by many authorities distinct enough to be classified in their own family, Ailuridae.

The giant panda inhabits cool, damp bamboo forests in the mountains of central China, near the Tibetan border, where it's generally found at elevations of 1,500 to 4,000 m (5,000 to 13,000 ft).

Its thick, wolly coat is brownish black or black and white, the latter often with a yellowish tinge. The darker color forms patches around the eyes, covers the ears, legs and chest, and forms a band across the shoulders.

Giant pandas grow to 1.5 m (5 ft) long, plus a short (16 cm - 6 in) tail, and weigh 150 kg (330 lb) or more. They may feed on several kinds of plants and even an occasional small animal, but bamboo constitutes the major part of their diet. The giant panda has a great appetite for bamboo. Every day it can spend up to 16 hrs just eating. It eats for a while, sleeps for a while and then eats some more. It may even eat in the middle of the night. In one year, it chews up more thaan 10,000 pounds of bamboo!

Mating takes place in April or May, and one or two young are born, usually in January.

The panda population has declined sharply in the last decade, due to human encroachment of the panda's natural habitats in bamboo thickets. Pandas are being forced to move into isolated communities, resulting in inbreeding and a loss of food.
The Chinese government has established 12 panda reserves with new breeding centers in an attempt to prevent the panda's extinction. Captive panda breeding have had limited success, however, because their sexual habits are poorly understood.
Scientists estimate that fewer than 700 of the endangered giant pandas are left in the wild. Today, the animals that once ranged throughout most of central and eastern China are restricted to the high mountains of central China, living in coniferous forests and bamboo thickets. In modern times, the animals that have inhabited China for more than 600,000 years depend on man for protection.