Pets & Animals

Those interested in taking their own Koala Bear pictures will need to take a trip down under, because Koala Bears reside only in Australia. However, because Koala Bears are so popular, there is no shortage of Koala Bear pictures which will satisfy the initial curiosities of those interested in the species. Frequently, these photographs show the Koala in captivity, which is the environment to which many Koala Bears have been relegated.

Background Information on Koala Bear Pictures
Koala Bear pictures depicting the species in the wild are increasingly hard to procure. This is because the natural habitat of the Koala is under constant pressure from local land development concerns, and because the animals themselves are protected by a variety of legislation designed to shield Koala Bears from further encroachment by human activity. However innocuous the intention of prospective photographers, it is best to leave the Koalas and their natural habitat undisturbed.

Revered for thousands of years by Aboriginal Tribes for their mythological significance, Koala Bears suffered greatly at the onset of their contact with Western Civilization. Sadly, the pelts of adult Koala Bears remain a coveted item in the fur trading marketplace. Despite the efforts of conservationists to protect the species from continued hunting, trapping and encroachment, the Koala Bear population remains under threat.

Over the course of the last two centuries, the Koala Bear population has shifted to the South and Southwest regions of Australia, where Eucalyptus forests are more plentiful. However, human interference and the subsequent disruption of the continuity of these forests have depleted the ability of large numbers of Koala Bears to thrive in these last redoubts. With continued vigilance, the downward pressure on remaining Koala Bear populations can be abated.

There are perhaps no marsupials more renowned than Koala Bears. The irony of this misleading bit of nomenclature is likely a product of the Koalas generic resemblance to certain species of Bear. Like bears, Koalas are rounded, forest dwelling mammals that are covered in fur. However, because they rear their young in specially adapted pouches, Koala Bears belong firmly in the Marsupial family.

Koala Bears, Ancient Residents of Australia
Recently uncovered fossils reveal that the Koala Bear, or a species nearly identical to it, has resided on the Australian Subcontinent for 25 to 40 millions years. It is likely that these and other marsupials are the product of geographically isolated processes of evolution. Evidence for this lies in the well cataloged menagerie of genetically distinct plant and animal species that are found in Australia and surrounding environs.

Koala Bears live in delicate forests that provide their sole source of food, Eucalyptus leaves. These leaves contain toxins that are poisonous to nearly every other animal species, providing Koalas with a near dietary monopoly in their habitat. Mature Koalas spend all of their waking hours feasting on these leaves, the fiber of which contains so much water that Koalas rarely need to seek sources of drinking water. However, the digestion of these highly fibrous leaves puts quite a strain on the metabolism of the Koala, forcing it to sleep nearly 16 hours a day to conserve energy.

Completely dependent on the availability of Eucalyptus trees, the Koala is unable to stray from the forest. Koala populations are therefore particularly susceptible to seasonal fluctuations and to the depletion of their habitat. Although efforts at the conservation of Eucalyptus forests have been undertaken by environmentalists, they continue to meet resistance from local industrial, commercial, and agricultural interests.

Concerned by the significant depletion of Panda Bear populations in the wild, Environmentalists are attempting to raise awareness by furnishing the public with a variety of Panda Bear Facts. As a result, those interested in Panda Bears and Panda Bear Facts now have a variety of resources at their disposal. An improved understanding of the ecosystems that support Giant Panda Bears is essential to ensuring their continued survival.

A Survey of Panda Bear Facts
Giant Panda Bears are fairly unique among the species of Bear. Although classified as omnivores, Giant Panda Bears rely on an exclusive diet of bamboo. Pandas are known to feast on 15 varieties of bamboo, and spend nearly every waking hour munching on the stalks and leaves of the plant. Among varied Panda Bear facts concerning diet is the estimation that an adult Panda consumes an average of 20 pounds of bamboo per day.

The year round abundance of bamboo plants means the Panda does not need to hibernate, a comparatively rare trait among Bear species. However, because Panda Bears are completely reliant on only one food source, they are particularly vulnerable to changes in their habitat. As the availability of bamboo plants waxes and wanes, so does the attendant Panda Bear population. However, Pandas are occasionally known to seek fish and small game when vegetation is sparse.

Adult Panda Bears reach three to three and one half feet in length, and weigh up to 350 pounds. In the wild, female Pandas have one litter per year, typically consisting on two cubs. Panda cubs are weaned at six months, and begin to eat Bamboo at around nine months. The cubs will then remain under the care of their mother for a year and a half or less.

It is extremely difficult for the untrained shutterbug to take Panda Bear pictures, because the numbers of Giant Panda Bears in the wild are so low. However, those interested in photographing these animals in zoos will have an easier time. Wildlife photographers have managed to take Panda Bear pictures in the remote reaches of China and Tibet, however, and the images are often breathtaking.

Discovering Panda Bear Pictures
The Panda Bear is often present in traditional Chinese forms of visual art, which speaks to the tremendous spiritual significance attributed to Pandas in East Asian culture. Pandas, known as Giant Cat Bears, or Xiongmao, occupied a mythological place in the Chinese imagination as entities that directed storms and other forms of natural disaster. Some historically significant Panda Bear pictures actually depict paintings or drawings of Panda Bears seated at the thrones of dynastic emperors.

There have been untold efforts by modern photographers to capture the Giant Panda Bear in the wild. By accident of fortune, Giant Panda Bears tend to reside in or near politically sensitive regions in China, such as Tibet and Nepal. The Chinese central government is particularly sensitive to the presence of foreigners in these disputed territories, so it is now necessary to endure an often agonizing series of bureaucratic obstacles in order to travel to these places, especially with photographic equipment.

A few intrepid photographers have been fortunate enough to make their way into these remote regions. Once these obstacles have been surmounted, it is still a significant challenge to come upon actual wild Panda Bears. With the aid of knowledgeable local guides, it is possible to get the opportunity to photograph these remarkable animals. The images produced by these expeditions speak for themselves.

The fact that Giant Panda Bears are unique and widely revered creatures has not prevented them from languishing in continual danger of extinction. Giant Panda Bear populations throughout China and Nepal are perilously low because of their highly specialized diet and relatively low rate of reproduction. Within the past two decades, strenuous efforts to shield native Panda habitats from further encroachment are showing signs of success, however gradual.

A Primer on Panda Bears
Pandas are large, slow moving omnivores that belong to the Ursidae, or Bear, family. While they might not necessarily resemble North American Bears in terms of behavior and outward appearance, biologists have grouped them together on the basis of common characteristics and the shape and size of their skulls. It is remarkable to note that Ursidae family is composed of a diverse array of subspecies that occupy every continent on the planet save Antarctica.

Adult Panda Bears grow to three to three and one half feet in length, and generally weigh in the neighborhood of three hundred pounds. Intrepid consumers of Bamboo, a healthy Panda Bear will consume nearly 20 pounds of bamboo per day. Maintaining this rate of consumption saves little time during the Pandas daily schedule for activities other than sleep.

Female Panda bears tend to give birth once every year, producing litters that number up to four cubs, although two is the norm. Panda cubs are weaned at six months, and at nine months they begin what is hopefully a long life of feasting on bamboo. It is said that during the first year of life, a Panda cub will consume at least 75 pounds of bamboo.