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| Anna Vlachogianni - B1 |
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| Aggeliki Kiafia B2 |
The Giant Panda
by Irene Kaklamanou
Giant pandas are black and white bears that live in bamboo forests in central China. Their scientific name is “Ailuropoda melanoleuca”. They are very recognized—but the rarest—animals in the world and they symbolize endangered species and conservation efforts.
There are only 1,600 giant pandas that survive in the mountain forests of central China. More than 300 pandas live in zoos and breeding centers around the world; most of these pandas are in China.
Giant pandas bears have a body typical of bears. They have a massive head, heavy body, short tail and rounded ears. The fur of the giant panda is thick and wooly and it keeps it warm in the cool forests of its habitat. The color is white with black eye patches, ears, legs, feet, chest, and shoulders.
The panda's diet is over 99% bamboo. A typical animal eats half the day 12.5 kilograms of bamboo, but it will sometimes eat birds or rodents as well. They may climb as high as 4 klm to feed on higher slopes in the summer season. Also they are skilled tree-climbers and efficient swimmers. In zoos, giant pandas eat bamboo, sugar cane, rice gruel, a special high-fiber biscuit, carrots, apples, and sweet potatoes.
The lifespan of a wild Panda is about 25 years or more. A wild panda spends much of its day resting, feeding, and seeking food. Unlike other bears from temperate climates, giant pandas do not hibernate.
The mother panda only has one baby every two years. Panda babies are very small, pink, hairless, and blind when they are born. They do not open their eyes until they are six weeks old and they don’t walk until three months old. They may stay with their mothers for up to three years.
Pandas are almost becoming extinct. People should realize that Pandas are such great creatures and unless they do something to protect them, they will be threatened with extinction.
The woodpecker
by Thalia Koutsonasiou
Woodpeckers are climbing birds which live in woody regions all over the world except Australia and Magadascar. They have got a hard tail that they use it as a seat. Their colour is between black, green and white. In addition to this, they dispose a long neck which helps them to find easier food. Woodpeckers are solitary animals and apart from the period of reproduction they avoid to hunt together in the same place. They are useful animals for the trees as with opening holes they lighten the dead parts of the trees and they clean them of quantities of insects which discomfort them. Hunters don't hunt them because they aren't useful to them. Finally, the black woodpecker is one of the most famous animals which is endangered!
