Giant Pandas’“Myxiosis”

2017-04-05

  When you visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, you may see pandas leisurelylying in playground neither moving around nor eating. People always ask this question: “Is giant panda mad? Feel unhappy?”You don’t have toworry about it as this is a very important physiologicalPhenomena of giant.


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  Though the digestive system of giant pandas is like that of predators, but pandas eat plants now after long time evolution. So for giant pandas, most physiological phenomena depend on food.Most of the physical phenomenons of myxiosis are caused by food. Myxiosis means the discharge of mucus, so where does this mucus come from? And what is its function? 99% percent of the food of giant pandas is high-fibrous bamboo. In order to avoid damagingits digestive tract from high-fiber foods,their digestive tract has developed mucous glands,which wraps the bamboo it consumes. With mucus lubrication, it also makes pandas smoothly defecate.However, if giant pandasonly eat a little bamboo,the extra mucus cannot be discharged through feces.Giant pandas will irregularly exhibit myxiosis behavior. It is a kind of coping mechanism for giant pandas. The fresh discharged mucus of giant pandas is pink-white or milky-white, transparent and soft.But later,the color becomes dark and solidifies.When pandas exhibit myxiosis behavior,it will begin to feel pain in their abdomen. During this period,they preferring lying down than eating or drinking.Because of the individual differences of giant pandas, the myxiosisperiod is also different. Some of them need to spend a whole day to complete the process.When this process is finished, pandas will return to their normal waysquickly.

 

  So, next time if you see a giant panda lying down for a long time, pleasedo not bother them.