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09 December 2025
Pandas and Their Unsuspected Abilities
For years, pandas were regarded as calm, undemanding bears preoccupied mainly with eating bamboo. Nevertheless, this perception proved too simplistic. A closer look now suggests that their behavior is far more complex.
Researchers observed 18 pandas living in a Chinese zoo for several dozen days. This time, the focus was not on diet or daily rhythms, but on minor habits and gestures that were previously easy to overlook.
A Panda’s Daily Routine Revolves Around Bamboo
Pandas subsist almost entirely on bamboo and can consume several dozen kilograms per day, although their bodies assimilate only a small fraction of this food. For years, their behavioral repertoire seemed equally simple. Yet, one of the observed actions compels us to re-examine their capabilities.
Bamboo: More Than Just a Snack
Fifty days of observation were enough to notice something that had previously escaped attention. Pandas were utilizing bamboo shoots—the very ones that form the basis of their diet—as tools to scratch hard-to-reach places.
Their appearance, slowness, and uncomplicated lifestyle had for years obscured the true nature of the panda. Indeed, a more careful study demonstrates that their panda behavior is significantly more complex than assumed.
What Difference Does the Sixth Digit Make?
The fact that pandas can manipulate bamboo is no accident. This ability is enabled by the structure of their paw, featuring an opposable “thumb” (a modified wrist bone) that allows for a precise grip. In this respect, they are closer to us than we usually think—although in their case, nature added one extra digit.
The results published in the scientific journal Current Biology suggest that since pandas can use bamboo shoots and scratch exactly where they intend, they possess certain developed mechanisms in their brain. Crucially, they can plan—even if only short-term—and utilize simple tools to achieve a goal.
Scrutinizing Panda Behavior and Intelligence
The conclusions, however, require some caution. The current observations focused on pandas living in a zoo, and similar complex panda behavior has not yet been confirmed in their natural habitat. Therefore, further observations are planned, this time conducted in the wild.
Pandas Are Not Alone in Tool Use
What was observed in pandas fits into a broader picture of the animal kingdom. The ability to utilize simple tools is not unique; it appears across various species, often in highly diverse environments.
Animals with this trait include:
- Sea otters that crack mussel shells open with stones.
- Elephants that use broken-off branches, similar to pandas, to scratch hard-to-reach places or to help them forage for food.
- Octopuses that use coconut shells for self-defense.
- Predatory Australian insects that use sticky resin to catch prey more easily.
Similar abilities also appear in primates, birds, insects, mollusks, and crustaceans. Clearly, the animal world proves to be much more inventive in this regard than we often like to believe.
Similarities We Often Forget
These observations remind us that the boundary between us and animals is not as sharp as we tend to think. Ultimately, in many small behaviors, we are closer to them than we have previously been willing to see.
Read this article in Polish: Niepozorne misie, niezwykłe zdolności. Pandy zaskoczyły badaczy
