Bamboo bear vs Pacific yam

Ailuropoda melanoleuca compared with Dioscorea nummularia

Key Differences

• Bamboo bear is Vulnerable while Pacific yam is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bamboo bear	Pacific yam
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (plantas)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order	Carnivora (carnívoros)	Dioscoreales (Dioscoreales)
Family	Ursidae (Bears)	Dioscoreaceae
Genus	Ailuropoda (Giant Pandas)	Dioscorea
Species	Ailuropoda melanoleuca	Dioscorea nummularia

Conservation Status

Bamboo bear

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~1.9K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Pacific yam

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bamboo bear	Pacific yam
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.

Pacific yam

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests within the Indomalayan biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Laos. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Bamboo bear

O panda-gigante (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) é um animal emblemático da China, célebre pela sua pelagem branca e preta e pela dieta baseada quase exclusivamente em bambu. Seu estado de conservação é vulnerável (VU), é o animal-bandeira da conservação internacional da vida silvestre e sua população apresentou alguma recuperação nos últimos anos.