Giant pandas use their thumbs to grip and eat bamboo. They spend most of their time eating and save energy by not moving much. They live near streams of fresh water and have no natural predators. They reproduce once every two years. This description is an example of

For many years, scientists wondered whether pandas were a type of bear, raccoon or something all their own. But plenty of genetic studies have made it clear that pandas are a type of bear, according to the San Diego Zoo.

Also called great pandas, parti-colored bears, bamboo bears and white bears, giant pandas are distinguished from other pandas by their large size and black-and-white coloring. Their bold coloring provides camouflage - giant pandas are nearly invisible in dense patches of bamboo, according to the Smithsonian National Zoo.

Giant pandas grow to be 27 to 32 inches (70 - 80 centimeters) tall at the shoulder, 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 meters) long and can weigh up to 275 lbs. (125 kilograms), according to the San Diego Zoo Their size is about the same as an American black bear. By comparison, the giant panda's distant relative, the red panda, is only 20 to 26 inches (50 to 65 cm) tall and weighs 10 to 20 lbs. (4.5 to 9 kg).

In the wild, giant pandas are only found in the remote, mountainous regions of central China, in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, according to the National Zoo. In this area, between 5,000 and 10,000 feet elevation (1,524 - 3,048 m), are the cool, wet bamboo forests that giant panda's call home. The large bears make their dens from hollowed-out logs or stumps of conifer trees found within the forest.

This is an example of a K-selected species.

Explanation:

K-selected species are characterized by being more intelligent in comparison to their counterpart - r-selected species - saving more energy (being energy efficient), having a weaker sex drive (reproducing less) and the tendency to delay maturation.