Pandas: Nature’s goofballs, amirite? This one has decided he’s going to descend a walkway in the quickest and most ridiculous way he can manage while expending the least amount of energy. To be honest, it’s more or less the way I finish off the workweek too. Way to be relatable, my little panda chum.
Those that are familiar with pandas will note that rolling is an oft-observed behavior. Scientists have a few theories as to why. Poor eyesight can lead to their stumbling around, so they certainly can be pretty clumsy. Some researchers suggest that pandas’ short legs and round bodies cause them to lose balance easily, knocking them into a rolling motion. Others believe that because pandas are largely sedentary, their muscles can sometimes be slow to respond when they start to move again (similar to the sensation of a leg “falling asleep” when one sits on it awkwardly for too long), and this causes the bears to tip over. Rolling also helps the large animals conserve energy, useful when so much of their existence (10 to 16 hours a day) is devoted to getting enough calories from their bamboo diets. But ultimately, pandas just seem to enjoy rolling. Do what you love, pandas!
Source vid here:
SyFy: “THE SCIENCE BEHIND WHY PANDAS ARE SO FAMOUSLY CLUMSY” by Cassidy Ward, 6/16/24
O-Em-Gee, that is perfect for a Friday. I, too, want to use as little energy as possible by the end of the week.
Rolling like that, if I tried it, would deliver pain to my bony and already bashed about back. Good on this panda, for not accepting such a limitation! Exult in your mad panda skills!