Organism
Giant Panda
TL;DR
Exemplifies extinction risk from extreme specialization.
Exemplifies extinction risk from extreme specialization. Over 99% of diet is bamboo. Pandas are morphologically and behaviorally specialized for bamboo consumption (pseudo-thumb for gripping stalks, gut microbiome for digesting cellulose). If bamboo forests are destroyed or bamboo species undergo mass die-offs (which occur periodically when bamboo flowers synchronously every 40-120 years, then dies), pandas have no alternative food source.
Notable Traits of Giant Panda
- 99% bamboo diet
- Pseudo-thumb adaptation
- Vulnerable to bamboo die-offs