Lazy lifestyle lets pandas survive on bamboo-only diet

@@ Lazy lifestyle lets pandas survive on bamboo--only diet

 @@ Giant pandas are able to survive on their meagre diet of bamboo partly by being frugal with the energy they spend on physical activity, scientists have found//

 @@ Researchers found that the metabolism of the panda is incredibly low a 90kg panda expends less than half the energy of a 90kg human// 

 @@ The panda, found mainly in China, is famous for being a meat eater turned vegetarian// In the wild its diet consists almost entirely of bamboo, but because its gut remains designed for digesting meat, this causes the bear huge problems// 

 @@ Until now, how pandas survive on this poor diet has been a mystery, but it has been speculated that an essential component of their ability to do so is having a low energy demand// 

 @@ The researchers measured the metabolic rates of pandas living both in captivity and in the wild//

@@ *Pandas save a lot of energy by being frugal with the energy they spend on physical activity// Using GPS loggers attached to pandas we discovered that they rest for more than half of the day and on average, only travelled at 20 metres an hour,* said Professor John Speakman, co--first author, from the University of Aberdeen and Chinese Academy of Sciences// 

 @@ *However, it is not only their low activity that contributes to their low metabolism| the metabolic rate of an active panda is still lower than a completely stationary human//

 @@ *We found that their low metabolism is correlated with very low levels of their thyroid hormones, which was linked to a genetic mutation in the thyroid hormone synthesis pathway that is unique to the panda,* Speakman said// 

 @@ A big problem with having such a low metabolic rate is keeping warm, researchers said// 

 @@ Pandas have exceptionally thick fur which traps what body heat they have inside, however this means that the surface temperature of pandas, which the team measured with a thermal camera, is much lower than other black and white animals, such as zebras and Dalmatian dogs//

 @@ The study is published in the journal Science//