It's said that the mother Panda can only raise one cub at once, but she still gives birth to more than one, so what does she do with the extras? she kills them by laying on top of them. So is it Panda's own fault that they are on the endanger species list?
2007-03-13 04:13:01 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
Actually, no. They would be endangering themselves if they rasied one cub over a lifetime and killed every other cub. But as long as two parents can still have a total lifetime reproductive output of at least two more pandas, they can sustain their population.
In fact, having more than one infant but killing one might be beneificial in species that require a great deal of parental investment. Let's suppose that it's impossible to put in enough resources to raise more than a singel offspring. If a mother tries to split her resources evenly between two cubs, neither will get all the help it needs and they'll both die. So by focusing all her energy on one cub, she gives herself the best chance of having at least one cub survive. Why have the second cub at all? The second offspring is like a form of hedge betting. If one offspring is stillborn or dies very shortly after birth, the mother still has another cub to raise. Many birds employ this strategy, too. They feed one chick in a nest and allow its sibling to die, but if the first chick dies unexpectedly they focus on the second (back-up) chick.
Does it seem callous and immoral? Remember that the natural world is neither moral, nor immoral. It's without morality.
2007-03-13 07:44:34 · answer #1 · answered by Ben H 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pandas have lived for millions of years, so they can't be a danger to themselves, or they would have become extinct a long time ago.
it is when man destroys a habitat, and hunts unimals unregulated, this causes the extinction, not anything the animals do to themselves
2007-03-13 11:22:46 · answer #2 · answered by bob shark 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes it is, and that's not the only reason. pandas eat bamboo, which is not nutritional in the least, it's so lacking in nutrition that they basically have to sit and eat bamboo for hours and hours every day to get enough energy to survive. While this is great in keeping a balance on bamboo growth (which is ridiculous, it's the worst weed in existence) it's not so good for the survival of the panda
2007-03-13 11:17:46 · answer #3 · answered by Will 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i guess.. never heard about that so far.. might need some research..
2007-03-13 11:16:07 · answer #4 · answered by crazy286 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋