An Introduc on to the Scotland’s Pandas: 1 China/UK Giant Panda Project Panda Profiles Tian Tian and Yang Guang
Early Level: Social Studies I explore and appreciate the wonder of nature within different environments and have played a part in caring for the environment. SOC 0-08a
Suggested Ac vity: Compare-a-Bear
Aims
• To know that pandas are bears. • To iden fy different types of bear and know where they come from. • To iden fy the characteris cs of bears. • To understand that pandas share many characteris cs with other bears but that they are also different. • To play a part in caring for the environment.
Suggested Learning Framework
• Read Lesson S mulus – Panda Profiles to find out about Tian Tian and Yang Guang. • Explain that Tian Tian and Yang Guang are bears and that there are other types of bears living in different environments around the world. Look at a selec on of videos (see resources) to see bears in a variety of environments. • Look at Bears Of the World and ask pupils to name them and say where they might live. Highlight some of these areas on a map or globe. One of the bears is an imposter, discuss which animal is not a bear. • Once the koala has been iden fied as the imposter, look at the bear photographs again and discuss similari es and differences. • What Makes a Bear, a Bear? Use this resource on the SMART Board to look at the characteris cs of bears. • Pandas are bears, and they share many characteris cs of other bears - but they are also different. Use How Do Giant Pandas Differ From Other Bears? on the SMART Board and discuss how pandas are different. • Pandas are classed as an endangered species because there are not many of them le in the wild. This is because much of their habitat in China has been lost. Discuss the importance of protec ng animal habitats and talk about why it is important to care for our local and global environment. Discuss ways of caring for the environment locally and make a class, or whole school, ac on plan.
An Introduc on to the Scotland’s Pandas: 1 China/UK Giant Panda Project Panda Profiles Tian Tian and Yang Guang
Early Level: Social Studies I explore and appreciate the wonder of nature within different environments and have played a part in caring for the environment. SOC 0-08a
Background Notes for Teachers:
This series of ac vi es will help pupils explore and appreciate the diversity and wonder of nature within different environments around the world. At the same me, pupils will begin to understand that humans have played a major role in harming the environment and that this has led to habitat destruc on, with many animals becoming endangered or ex nct. The ac vi es culminate in pupils taking an ac ve part in caring for their local environment and an understanding that they have an important role to play in protec ng the world and all living things that share it with us.
If your class, or school, has played an ac ve role in caring for the environment then we would love to hear about it. Send any photographs or pupils’ work to: JLR Beyond The Panda Educa on, Educa on Department, The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh EH12 6TS We’ll choose some of the work we receive and publish it on our Beyond the Panda website.
An Introduc on to the Scotland’s Pandas: 1 China/UK Giant Panda Project Panda Profiles Tian Tian and Yang Guang
Background Notes for Teachers
Bears of the World
Bears can be found in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and the Arc c region. There are eight different types of bears that live on earth, these are; the giant panda, the polar bear, the sloth bear, the spectacled bear, the sun bear, the brown bear, the American black bear and the Asia c bear.
Giant Panda The giant panda is a black and white bear that lives high up in the mountainous forests of central China. It is a large, solitary animal whose diet consists mainly of bamboo. The panda spends about 55% of the day (both day me and night- me) feeding and will eat over 60 species of bamboo. The giant panda is classed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Polar Bear The polar bear is the largest of all bear types whose na ve range lies largely within the Arc c Circle. It is a carnivorous bear with a diet that consists mainly of ringed and bearded seals. Although a carnivore, the polar bear will eat berries or other available plant material during the summer. The neck of the polar bear is longer than in other species of bear and it has small ears on an elongated head. Polar bears have huge forepaws, which are used as paddles for swimming. The polar bear is classed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Sloth Bear The sloth bear can be found in the forested areas of India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan. Sloth bears are unique amongst bears in that the majority of their diet is composed of insects, par cularly termites, and ants. The sloth bear will break open a termite mound with its strong front claws and then insert its snout to blow away the earth and dust before sucking the termites up. The sloth bear is classed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Spectacled Bear The spectacled bear lives in the Andes Mountains of South America. It has cream-coloured facial markings around its eyes that give it its name. The spectacled bear has a rounded head and a rela vely short snout compared to other bear species. Like other bears, it is an omnivore, although vegeta on appears to make up the majority of its diet. The spectacled bear is classed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
An Introduc on to the Scotland’s Pandas: 1 China/UK Giant Panda Project Panda Profiles Tian Tian and Yang Guang
Background Notes for Teachers
Bears of the World
Sun Bear The sun bear, also known as the “honey bear” is the world’s smallest bear and is found in Borneo, Burma, Malaysia Sumatra and Thailand. It has an extremely long tongue for ea ng small vertebrates, invertebrates, fruits, the young ps of palm trees and bees’ nests. The sun bear has a chest patch that can either be yellow, orange or white and may some mes be speckled or spo ed. It has small, rounded ears, a fleshy forehead and a large head. The sun bear is classed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Brown Bear The brown bear, or grizzly bear, is one of the largest bear species. Brown bears are found in western Canada, Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington. They have a hump, which is a mass of muscle that, together with long claws, provides the bear with great digging ability. Brown bears eat a mixed diet of nuts, grasses, fruits, roots, insects, fish and small animals. The brown bear is classed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
American Black Bear The American black bear is a forest animal that can be coloured black, chocolate-brown, cinnamon or yellow-brown. It has a head that slopes in a straight line from the brow to the end of its snout. The American black bear’s diet consists of plant-based foods such as roots, buds berries, nuts, fruit, small mammals and caribou. It produces a range of vocalisa ons including a “woof” sound, used as an alarm by adults, and a shrill howl used by cubs when lonely or frightened. The American black bear is classed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Asia c Bear The Asia c black bear, also known as the “moon bear” is normally black in colour with a dis nc ve v- shaped patch of cream coloured fur on its chest. It lives in southern Asia and eats a wide variety of foods including small mammals, birds, bees’ nests and fruits. The Asia c bear has a stocky body, round head and large ears with a black, shaggy coat and ruff of longer hair around the neck. The Asia c bear is classed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. An Introduc on to the Scotland’s Pandas: 1 China/UK Giant Panda Project Panda Profiles Tian Tian and Yang Guang
Background Notes for Teachers
Giant Panda Habitat Loss
The giant panda’s mountainous bamboo forest habitat once covered vast areas of China, northern Vietnam and northern Burma. Now, fragments of forest can only be found in a few isolated mountain ranges in Gansu, Shaanxi and the Sichuan Provinces of south-central China. Habitat loss, and the subsequent loss of their primary food source - bamboo, is undoubtedly one of the major reasons for the dwindling numbers of giant pandas in the wild.
A typical pair of breeding pandas needs a minimum area of around 30km2 of bamboo forest to support them, but logging has destroyed much of their original habitat. In the Sichuan Province alone the panda’s habitat shrank by 50% between 1974 and 1989. In 1998 the Chinese government banned logging but up un l that me large areas of natural bamboo forest were cleared for mber, fuel wood, infrastructure for a growing popula on and land for hydropower development.
Use of the land for agriculture also had a major effect on the giant panda’s habitat and food source. Bamboo only grows at al tudes of between 500m and 3,100m. Unfortunately, much of the lower land u lized by the giant panda has been claimed for agriculture. This in effect has confined most of the panda’s habitat to al tudes greater than 1,400m. As pandas do not hibernate, this has caused major problems for them, as they are unable to retreat to lower levels during the cold winter months.
Three-quarters of all wild pandas now live in nature reserves – but despite this, they’re s ll endangered. Nearly half of all wild pandas were lost between the early 1970s and the late 1990s – mainly owing to habitat destruc on and poaching. Habitat loss and fragmenta on are s ll the main threats today. Giant pandas are doing their bit to reinstate their habitat and keep it healthy. By spreading seeds in their droppings all around the forest – they help vegeta on to spread and grow and this in turn helps the forest thrive.
The giant panda’s habitat, seen here as red pockets of bamboo forest, is now restricted to a few isolated mountain ranges in south- central China. An Introduc on to the Scotland’s Pandas: 1 China/UK Giant Panda Project Panda Profiles Tian Tian and Yang Guang
Early Level: Social Studies I explore and appreciate the wonder of nature within different environments and have played a part in caring for the environment. SOC 0-08a
Resources: Compare-a-Bear
Lesson S mulus – Panda Profiles. Use this resource on the SMART Board or print and use as a flip chart to find out more about Tian Tian and Yang Guang.
Polar Bear h p://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Polar_bear#p012zbq7 Black Bear h p://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/north-america/videos/baby-black-bear-learns-the-ropes.htm Giant Panda h p://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Giant_Panda#p0036r9x Sun Bear h p://www.arkive.org/malayan-sun-bear/helarctos-malayanus/video-01.html Spectacled Bear h p://www.arkive.org/spectacled-bear/tremarctos-ornatus/video-00.html
Bears of the World 1 Photographs of some of the different types of bears that can be found, including an imposter in the form of Edinburgh Zoo’s very own Koala. Can be printed or used on the SMART Board.
Bears of the World 2 Background Notes for Teachers. A short descrip on of each of the eight types of bears that live on earth.
What Makes a Bear, a Bear? A resource to be used on the SMART Board showing the characteris cs that bears share.
How Do Giant Pandas Differ From Other Bears? A resource to be used on the SMART Board showing how pandas are different to other bears.
Giant Panda Habitat Loss. Background notes for teachers.
A variety of simple panda cra ideas can be found at h p://www.ac vityvillage.co.uk/paper-plate-pand
Bear Songs. The Bear by Li le Fox and I Am A Gummy Bear by Just Dance Kids 2– You Tube Bear Stories. Why the bear has a short tail h p://www.sacred-texts.com/etc/bnm/bnm22.htm