Pandas Show Resilience in Range of Habitats (Gallery)
Michigan State University contributed these images to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
While pandas have been intensively observed for at least three decades, some of the most prominent beliefs about the animals are more conventional wisdom than actual fact. Re-analyzing data from a wealth of panda studies, Michigan State University researchers now show pandas are more comfortable in a range of habitats than conservationists have feared, meaning even restored forests could soon welcome pandas back. Read more about the research in "Tao of Pandas: Sometimes They Go With the Flow" and see images from some of the studies below.
One subject of study
A panda wearing a GPS collar captured in a camera trap in Wolong Nature Reserve. (Credit: Sue Nichols, Michigan State University.)
Practice, practice, practice
A baby panda practices climbing in the Wolong Nature Reserve. (Credit: Sue Nichols, Michigan State University.)
Learning a useful skill
Pandas learn to forage in their enclosures at the Wolong Nature Reserve. (Credit: Sue Nichols, Michigan State University.)
Snoozing
A napping panda at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwestern China. (Credit: Kurt Stepnitz, Michigan State University.)
Chowing down
A panda feeds on bamboo at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwestern China. (Credit: Kurt Stepnitz, Michigan State University.)
Pushing it
This panda at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwestern China looks ready for a workout. (Credit: Kurt Stepnitz, Michigan State University.)
Video of a munching panda in Wolong. (Credit: Sue Nichols, Michigan State University.)
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