Bamboo bear vs Common Orache

Ailuropoda melanoleuca compared with Atriplex patula

Key Differences

Bamboo bear is Vulnerable while Common Orache is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bamboo bear	Common Orache
Kingdom	Animalia (動物)	Plantae (植物)
Phylum	Chordata (脊索動物)	Magnoliophyta (被子植物門)
Class	Mammalia (哺乳類)	Magnoliopsida (モクレン綱)
Order	Carnivora (ネコ目)	Caryophyllales (ナデシコ目)
Family	Ursidae (Bears)	Amaranthaceae
Genus	Ailuropoda (Giant Pandas)	Atriplex
Species	Ailuropoda melanoleuca	Atriplex patula

Conservation Status

Bamboo bear

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~1.9K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Common Orache

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bamboo bear	Common Orache
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.

Common Orache

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Georgia), Europe (13 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Chile).

Bamboo bear

ジャイアントパンダ（Ailuropoda melanoleuca）は中国中部の山岳竹林に生息し、体重最大125キログラムになるクマ科の動物で、食肉目に分類されながら食事の99%を竹が占める特異な食性を持つ。偽の親指（橈側種子骨）を使って竹の茎を把握し、1日14時間もの採食時間を費やす。2016年にIUCNレッドリストで絶滅危惧から危急（VU）へ改善されており、保護繁殖プログラムと自然保護区の設置が個体数回復に貢献している。

Common Orache

<em>Atriplex patula</em> is an annual herb in the family Amaranthaceae, distributed across Europe, Asia, North America, Australia, and Chile. It typically colonizes disturbed habitats, coastal areas, salt marshes, roadsides, agricultural fields, and waste ground, tolerating saline soils that many other species cannot withstand. The species is halophytic, possessing physiological adaptations for salt tolerance, including salt-excreting glands on its leaves. Its range extends across Georgia in Asia, thirteen European countries, and introduced populations in North America, Australia, and South America. Orache produces small, inconspicuous flowers and characteristic mealy-textured leaves. It is sometimes used as a leafy vegetable in traditional cuisine across parts of its native range. The IUCN lists this species as Least Concern given its widespread occurrence and adaptability to multiple habitat types. Biological traits including average lifespan, body measurements, and detailed dietary ecology remain poorly documented in standardized databases for this weedy annual species. <em>Atriplex patula</em> plays a functional role in stabilizing disturbed soils and contributing to coastal and ruderal plant communities across its broad distribution.