Talk about a food marathon!
Cute as the dickens and the universal symbol for endangered animals, pandas eat almost only bamboo (which is low in nutrients) so they need to eat a LOT of it get the amount of food they need.
But exactly how long and how much must they eat? Other grazing-type animals such as horses will forage for as much as 20 hours a day to get the calories they need. But bears are not grazers. They are omnivores, eating both plants and animals. Grizzly bears, for example will eat anything from berries to salmon to whatever you left in your unlocked car...
According to National Geographic, Pandas do not always eat 16 hours a day. They claim that "a typical animal eats half the day - a full 12 out of every 24 hours" and that "it takes 28 pounds...of bamboo to satisfy a giant panda's daily dietary needs" (National Geographic). They will also eat the occasional bird or rodent, but up to 99% of its diet is bamboo. And it's not very nutritious.
Keep in mind that most of what we know about pandas we know from observation in zoos: the wild pandas (of which there are only about 1,000 left) are quite elusive and difficult to find. You can learn more about pandas here and here.
Pandas are adorable. They look so fluffy and cute, and the internet is abound with videos of them playing on slides, logs, and crunching on that ubiquitous plant they love so much. I think it would be awesome to pet a panda some day, if such an opportunity presents itself.
But no, it does not appear they eat 16 hours a day. Where does Snapple get some of its facts? However, eating up to 16 hours a day on occasion makes sense. After all, 28 pounds of food would take a long time to eat, especially if you have to go looking for it. To put that amount of food into perspective, the average human probably eats 3-5 pounds of food a day, depending on dietary needs (Andrews).
So the next time you think you're full beyond belief, or super bored waiting for your dinner partner to finish off their crab legs, remember how much and how long a panda eats.
Resources:
Andrews, Ryan. "Energy and Calorie Density: What are your 4 pounds made of?." Precision Nutrition Blog. Precision Nurtrition, n. d. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. <http://www.precisionnutrition.com/what-are-your-4-lbs>.
"Giant Panda." National Geographic. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 8 Mar 2014. <http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/giant-panda/>.
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