Giant panda to digest cellulose is ascribed to the microbes in its gut. Pandas are born with sterile intestines and require bacteria obtained from their mother's feces to digest vegetation. The giant panda is a "highly specialized" animal with "unique adaptations", and has lived in bamboo forests for millions of years. The average giant panda eats as much as 9 to 14 kg (20 to 30 lb) of bamboo shoots a day to compensate for the limited energy content of its diet. Ingestion of such a large quantity of material is possible because of the rapid passage of large amounts of indigestible
Tai Shan (giant panda) quickly offered for sale on eBay and craigslist, with an asking price as high as $500 apiece. The cub became widely popular; he was frequently mentioned on D.C.-oriented websites, such as "DCist" and "Wonkette", as well as traditional media outlets, including National Public Radio, "The Washingtonian", "The Washington Post", and "The Washington Times". Fans set up sites selling cub-related merchandise, including one partnered with cafepress.com that donated approximately $1,900 in profits to the National Zoo. The panda cub was featured in an Animal Planet documentary titled "A Panda Is Born", which follows the National Zoo's giant panda breeding efforts and