Science Stats Animals

Giant pandas live in the slow lane

Bears’ energy use is small fraction of other mammals’

panda

SLOW BURN  Munching on bamboo all day doesn’t fuel a lot of activity. One way giant pandas conserve energy is by moving in slo-mo. 

George Lu/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

By Meghan Rosen

- More than 2 years ago

Like LED lightbulbs, giant pandas are energy-saving superstars.

The bamboo-loving bears use only about 38 percent as much energy as other land mammals of similar size, researchers report in the July 10 Science.