Pandas, though incredibly adorable, have no good reason as to why they have still managed to survive and not go completely extinct. If it wasn't for their extreme cuteness, I think they likely would've disappeared a while ago, as humanity just wouldn't have had the interest in saving a non-cute species.
Seriously; their mating rituals are appalling and have a poor success rate, and the very fact that pandas reproduce at all is a small miracle - most pandas today are conceived through artificial insemination. They are born prematurely, without ears, eyes or fur. They count on their mothers for caring for them for the first few months they have no eyes or ears. However, first time mothers are usually so surprised that this thing comes out of them (as they never realize that they are pregnant), they will sit on it, eat it, or bat it around until it dies.
Furthermore, though they are designed to be carnivorous (and, in fact, they sometimes will eat carrion if it's available, or their babies), they have decided that they are only able to eat a few specific species of bamboo. And, of all the bamboo that they eat, they only extract 7% of the nutritional content of the bamboo, so they need to eat kilograms of the stuff in order to get enough nourishment for the day.
So, they can't procreate, they can't gestate, they don't have maternal instincts, they don't eat efficiently... but they are so darn cute, you just want to hug one...
No comments:
Post a Comment