In the video, the way the giant panda eats bamboo shoots is quite amusing, resembling someone holding a cannon, which is sure to bring a smile to anyone watching.
It's known that one of the favorite foods of giant pandas is bamboo shoots, tender bamboo leaves, and tender branches, all rich in starch and hemicellulose. When giant pandas primarily consume bamboo shoots, their weight typically increases daily during the spring and summer seasons, which are also the breeding seasons for giant pandas.
Research indicates that the gut microbiota of giant pandas are essentially unable to degrade the fibers in bamboo, thus they cannot obtain necessary energy from cellulose. Instead, they primarily derive energy from starch, hemicellulose, pectin, and other components found in bamboo.
Moreover, compared to other woody plants, bamboo contains relatively high concentrations of starch, and the starch content in different parts of bamboo varies with the seasons. Giant pandas typically choose to consume parts with higher starch content.
