What do pandas primarily eat?

Pandas primarily eat bamboo.

About 99 percent of a giant panda’s diet consists of bamboo, including leaves, stems, and shoots. Bamboo is abundant in the mountain forests of central China, where giant pandas live, but it contains relatively little usable energy. As a result, pandas spend much of the day eating and may consume large quantities to meet their nutritional needs.

Although pandas are classified in the order Carnivora and still have a digestive system more like that of a carnivore, they have adapted to a bamboo-based diet. Their powerful jaw muscles and broad molars help crush tough plant material. They can also digest starch from bamboo, while their ability to break down cellulose remains limited.

Pandas do not eat only plants in every circumstance. They may occasionally consume meat, fish, eggs, or other foods, especially when available. That is why “bamboo” is the best answer to the question about what they primarily eat, while answers such as fish or berries describe occasional foods rather than the core diet.