Let’s be honest, the human interest in pandas is bordering on perverted. Even now, when the beautiful bears are no longer endangered, we can’t stop noseying into their sex lives.
The animals are no longer at a risk of disappearing but they’re still simply... not having enough sex and even the ones that are getting frisky are actually, uh, not all that good at it and often not successful in reproduction.
Sorry, pandas. We do love you.
The reason pandas are bad at sex
So, when it comes to reproduction, pandas do have one great excuse as to why they are bad at reproducing: female pandas have just one fertile window of about 40 hours each year. So. Fair enough. That’s a tiny window.
Males, on the other hand, can be a little clumsy. Captive male pandas especially tend to struggle to mount the females properly and if they don’t manage it, or they simply can’t be bothered (we’ve all been there), they only get one chance a year to make it work, according to PBS.
However, researchers at Beijing Normal University have investigated whether panda’s gut microbiome may also be impacting their libido.
In a new study, scientists have suggested that the panda’s diets may be impacting their sex lives.
The researchers said that in captivity, animals lack the freedom to choose optimal food and this means that they could be missing out on nutrients that are essential for reproduction.
According to WWF: “A panda’s daily diet consists almost entirely of the leaves, stems and shoots of various bamboo species. Bamboo contains very little nutritional value so pandas must eat 12-38kg every day to meet their energy needs.”
The scientists studied 72 poo samples from 20 male giant pandas and found that males who had successfully reproduced at “significantly higher” levels of a gut bacteria called ‘clostridium’. The Beijing team thinks this could be impacting their fertility.
To boost this bacteria and improve the sex lives of pandas, the scientists recommended that zookeepers and conservationists feed their pandas a more wild diet that increases the amount of shoots and flavonoids that pandas eat.
Here’s hoping!