Giant Panda Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

Jazzmasters: Property changed owner.

More
Hidden : 11/1/2011
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works
Looking for a different adventure?

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:

You are looking for a small container.
Please trade up or trade even.

Why don't Panda's hibernate?
They have been bamboozled.....
.

Bears are notorious for their hibernation habits. As most of us learned early in school, bears undergo this long-term, sleep-like phase to escape from the bitter cold during winter months. But pandas don't take part in any kind of hibernation.
It's not that they don't like sleep -- far from it. Giant pandas sleep for about 8 to 12 hours a day. And it's not that their bodies can take the cold -- they actually have relatively little body fat with which to insulate themselves from low temperatures. But, rather, when the weather gets tough, the pandas get going. Instead of burrowing away at the first sign of uncomfortable temperatures, like many bears do, giant pandas simply find a more comfortable place to relax and eat bamboo. As much as 99 percent of their diet is bamboo. Giant pandas will occasionally eat meat when offered it, but they are unskilled predators.
Perhaps evolution favored pandas that relied on bamboo because the grass is available year-round. For whatever reason, after thousands of years eating it, they've grown a liking for bamboo, so much so that they prefer it to pre-killed meat and other foods. To accumulate enough energy to get through the day, giant pandas eat an enormous amount of bamboo -- about 40 pounds per day. Not that the panda's day is incredibly strenuous, as most of it (12 to 16 hours) is spent eating. Add that to 8 to 12 hours of sleep to conserve energy, and you've got an animal that eats to have enough energy to eat.
One might think hibernation would be a great way for the giant panda to conserve energy. But its bamboo diet is exactly what prevents it from accomplishing an extended sleep period. Giant pandas can't pile on enough body fat for foodless months; bamboo doesn't provide enough energy to allow the panda to sustain a long period without eating.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

gerr

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


Advertising with Us

Inventory

There are no Trackables in this cache.

View past Trackables

What are Trackable Items?

Bookmark Lists

View all bookmark lists...