The Science Behind Our Love Of Pandas
/ Post by Pandas International
What is it that makes these bears so irresistible? Ron Swaisgood, director of Applied Animal Ecology at the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, suggests that one of the main reasons we love giant pandas so much is because they are distinctly anthropomorphic; they remind of us ourselves. “They eat sitting up using their hands and their special pseudo thumb to handle food like we do. The classic pose for a panda eating resembles the way we sit on the floor. But even more than that, our attraction to pandas may be “all in the eyes”.
Scientists aren’t sure why giant pandas have such distinctive black-and-white markings, but those eye patches are the clincher. It turns a pair of otherwise ordinary beady eyes into something irresistible. “People love big eyes because it reminds them of children,” Swaisgood says. Combine those large eyes with a big, round head, a high forehead, and a roly-poly body and we just can’t help ourselves. We are programmed to respond to these babyish looks. It’s our nature to love giant pandas.
