Although 99% of their diet is bamboo, pandas still maintain the carnivore digestive system for meat. Only 20%-30 % of bamboo nutrients can be absorbed by pandas, which is very low compared with 70%-80% by other bears or plant-eating animals.
A panda consumes between 23-40 kilo (50-90 pounds) bamboo a day. Most of the bamboo will be pooped out half-digested.
Since the energy given by bamboo is so low that pandas have to keep eating all day to get enough energy. Pandas spend 10-16 hours a day collecting, preparing and eating bamboo. So basically whenever you see a panda, it may be caught eating bamboo. What a foodie!
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