Bamboo bear vs smooth giant clam

Ailuropoda melanoleuca compared with Tridacna derasa

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bamboo bear	smooth giant clam
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Mollusca (Mollusks)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Bivalvia (Bivalvia)
Order	Carnivora (Carnivorans)	Cardiida (Cardiida)
Family	Ursidae (Bears)	Cardiidae
Genus	Ailuropoda (Giant Pandas)	Tridacna
Species	Ailuropoda melanoleuca	Tridacna derasa

Evolutionary Relationship

Bamboo bear and smooth giant clam share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Bamboo bear

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~1.9K

Trend: Increasing ↑

smooth giant clam

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bamboo bear	smooth giant clam
Diet	Herbivore	—
Average Lifespan	20 years	—
Average Length	1.5 m	—
Average Weight	100.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bamboo bear

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate coniferous forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 7 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in China. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

smooth giant clam

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests within the Oceanian biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Marshall Islands and Taiwan. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Bamboo bear

Iconic black-and-white bear of the mountain bamboo forests of central China, giant pandas can weigh up to 125 kg and spend up to 14 hours daily consuming bamboo, which comprises 99% of their diet despite belonging to the order Carnivora. Solitary and elusive, they have a pseudo-thumb for gripping bamboo stems. Downgraded from Endangered to Vulnerable in 2016 following successful conservation and breeding programs.