スミソニアン国立動物園さんのインスタグラム動画 - (スミソニアン国立動物園Instagram)「🤔🐼 Let’s learn about the science behind animal snacks! Today’s Q: how much bamboo does a giant panda eat? . . . ⚖️ It is well known that our giant panda family—Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and Xiao Qi Ji—eat bamboo. But did you know that keepers feed each bear between 70 and 100 pounds of bamboo every day, depending on the time of year? It’s true! . . . 🍃 Spring is when giant pandas consume the largest amount of bamboo. When shoots sprout in late April and May, the bears receive them as a supplemental treat. And boy, do they enjoy them! This time of year, pandas mostly eat the culm (stalk), shredding it to bite-sized bits. Once the summer heat sets in, they will switch to eating the leaves. While bamboo is the majority of our pandas’ diets, they also receive apples, pears, sweet potatoes, high-fiber biscuits and sugar cane year-round. . . . 🐾 To encourage natural foraging behaviors, keepers place bamboo in the pandas’ favorite snacking spots, such as beneath a shady tree or near certain rocks and logs they like to use as backrests. Giant pandas have large molar teeth and strong jaw muscles for crushing tough bamboo. They also have a pseudo thumb— an elongated and enlarged wrist bone covered with a fleshy pad of skin—which enables them to easily grasp it. . . . 🤝 How does all of that bamboo get to the Zoo? Our Department of Nutrition Science cuts bamboo all year round, in the heat of the summer and in the freezing chill of winter. Staff harvest and deliver fresh bamboo three times a week. The supply comes from 20 stands across Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Thanks to the stand at our Front Royal, Virginia, campus and the partnerships we have developed with local landowners, our giant pandas have a steady source of their favorite food. . . . 🧠 Feed your curiosity with more animal snack facts: https://s.si.edu/3GJ3FNQ. (Link in bio.)」4月18日 0時52分