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Gonzo journalism

Gonzo journalism is a style of journalism that is written without claims of objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story using a first-person narrative. The word "gonzo" is believed to have been first used in 1970 to describe an article about the Kentucky Derby by Hunter S. Thompson, who popularized the style. It is an energetic first-person participatory writing style in which the author is a protagonist, and it draws its power from a combination of social critique and self-satire. It has since been applied to other subjective artistic endeavors.

Gonzo journalism involves an approach to accuracy that concerns the reporting of personal experiences and emotions, in contrast to traditional journalism, which favors a detached style and relies on facts or quotations that can be verified by third parties. Gonzo journalism disregards the strictly edited product once favored by newspaper media and strives for a more personal approach; the personality of a piece is as important as the event or actual subject of the piece. Use of sarcasm, humour, exaggeration, and profanity is common.

Thompson, who was among the forefathers of the New Journalism movement, said in the February 15, 1973, issue of Rolling Stone, "If I'd written the truth I knew for the past ten years, about 600 people—including me—would be rotting in prison cells from Rio to Seattle today. Absolute truth is a very rare and dangerous commodity in the context of professional journalism."

Etymology
The term "gonzo" was first used in connection with Hunter S. Thompson by The Boston Globe magazine editor Bill Cardoso in 1970. He described Thompson's article "The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved", which was written for the June 1970 edition of Scanlan's Monthly, as "pure Gonzo journalism". This predates the December 1970 debut of the Muppet of that name in The Great Santa Claus Switch. Cardoso said "gonzo" was South Boston Irish slang describing the last man standing after an all-night drinking marathon. He also said it was a corruption of the French Canadian word gonzeaux, which means "shining path", although this is disputed.

Another speculation is that the word may have been inspired by the 1960 hit song "Gonzo" by New Orleans rhythm and blues pianist James Booker. This possibility is supported by a 2007 oral biography of Thompson, which states that the term is taken from a song by Booker but does not explain why Thompson or Cardoso would have chosen the term to describe Thompson's journalism. The 2013 documentary Bayou Maharaja: The Tragic Genius of James Booker quotes Thompson's literary executor as saying that the song was the origin of the term. According to a Greg Johnson biographical note on Booker, the song title "Gonzo" comes from a character in a movie called The Pusher, which in turn may have been inspired by a 1956 Evan Hunter novel of the same title.

Thompson himself first used the term referring to his own work on page 12 of the counterculture classic Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He wrote, "But what was the story? Nobody had bothered to say. So we would have to drum it up on our own. Free Enterprise. The American Dream. Horatio Alger gone mad on drugs in Las Vegas. Do it now: pure Gonzo journalism."

Lexico proposes etymology from gonzo (simpleton, dolt) and/or ganso (dolt, goose).

Hunter S. Thompson
Thompson based his style on William Faulkner's notion that "fiction is often the best fact". While the things that Thompson wrote about are basically true, he used satirical devices to drive his points home. He often wrote about recreational drugs and alcohol use, which added subjective flair to his reporting. The term "gonzo" has also come into (sometimes pejorative) use to describe journalism in Thompson's style, characterized by a drug-fueled stream of consciousness writing technique.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas followed the Mint 400 piece in 1971 and included a main character by the name of Raoul Duke, accompanied by his attorney, Dr. Gonzo, with defining art by Ralph Steadman. Although this book is considered a prime example of gonzo journalism, Thompson regarded it as a failed experiment. He had intended it to be an unedited record of everything he did as it happened, but he edited the book five times before publication.

Thompson would instigate events himself, often in a prankish or belligerent manner, and then document both his actions and those of others. Notoriously neglectful of deadlines, Thompson often annoyed his editors because he submitted articles late, "too late to be edited, yet still in time for the printer". Thompson wanted his work to be read as he wrote it, in its "true Gonzo" form. Historian Douglas Brinkley said gonzo journalism requires virtually no rewriting and frequently uses transcribed interviews and verbatim telephone conversations.

"I don't get any satisfaction out of the old traditional journalist's view: 'I just covered the story. I just gave it a balanced view, Thompson said in an interview for the online edition of The Atlantic. "Objective journalism is one of the main reasons American politics has been allowed to be so corrupt for so long. You can't be objective about Nixon."

The Gonzo Studies Society proposes eleven features that, to varying degrees, are included in Hunter S. Thompson's Gonzo journalism:

 * Subjectivity
 * Immediacy (using notes, transcripts, etc)
 * A blend of fact and fiction
 * Dark comedy
 * A peculiar lexis (linguistics)
 * Some kind of sidekick figure
 * Hyperbole and/or fantasy
 * Drug use
 * Violence
 * Digressions
 * Conspiratorial tone

Influence and legacy
Thompson felt that objectivity in journalism was a myth. Gonzo journalism has now become a bona fide style of writing that is similar to the New Journalism of the 1960s, led primarily by Tom Wolfe and also championed by Lester Bangs, George Plimpton, Terry Southern, and John Birmingham, and is considered a subgenre of New Journalism. When asked whether there was a difference between the two, Thompson answered, "Yeah, I think so. Unlike Tom Wolfe or Gay Talese, for instance, I almost never try to reconstruct a story. They're both much better reporters than I am, but then I don't really think of myself as a reporter."

In 1998, Christopher Locke asserted that the webzine genre is descended from gonzo journalism, a claim that has since been extended to social media. Thompson's gonzo journalism influence is reflected in the current website Gonzo Today which features a top banner by Thompson's longtime illustrator Ralph Steadman, with rotating contributions by others including Thompson associate, poet Ron Whitehead.

It has been claimed that Thai writer Rong Wongsawan wrote in a style that was Gonzo, beginning in the 1960s when he reported from San Francisco. However he wrote in Thai, and he probably developed the style independently of Hunter S. Thompson. He also used the style in his books Sattahip and Takli which describe American soldiers and Thai bar girls during the Vietnam War. His book "The Man from Bangkok: San Francisco Culture in the 60s" is an English translation of a book published in Thai in 1978.

Modern gonzo journalism
In the early days of YouTube and digital journalism in the early 2000s, outlets such as Vice Media began to create videos in the style of gonzo journalism. Journalist Shane Smith, the founder of Vice, published videos and articles reporting on his visits to extreme locations. These videos included a multi-day propaganda tour he received of North Korea, his visit to a Bangkok brothel, and on-the-ground reports of Darfur and Iran. Vice also published on-the-ground reports from people experiencing current events, such as a 2007 issue written by Iraqi citizens about their ongoing experiences surrounding the Iraq War troop surge.

Journalist Hamilton Morris wrote 'The Magic Jews' for Vice in 2008, in which he documented his experience taking LSD with a group of Hasidic Jews. In 2009, Vice hired Morris to write the monthly column Hamilton's Pharmacopeia, which quickly evolved into a series of articles and documentaries in which Morris documents the culture, pharmacology, manufacturing, and use of psychoactive drugs; The series generally documents Morris using substances alongside the people he is documenting.

title: Gonzo journalism


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Giant panda

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), also known as the panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is used to distinguish it from the distantly related red panda. Adult individuals average 100 to 115 kg, and are typically 1.2 to 1.9 m long. The species is sexually dimorphic, as males are typically 10 to 20% larger. The fur is white, with black patches around the eyes, ears, legs and shoulders. A thumb is visible on the bear's forepaw, which helps in holding bamboo in place for feeding. Giant pandas have adapted larger molars and expanded temporal fossa to meet their dietary requirements.

The giant panda is exclusively found in six mountainous regions in a few provinces. It is also found in elevations of up to 3000 m. Its diet consists almost entirely of bamboo, making the bear mostly herbivorous, despite being classified in the order Carnivora. Pandas evolved the ability to effectively digest starch, making the shoot an important energy source. Though mostly starch, bamboo shoots are 32% protein, and therefore a good substitute for a carnivorous diet. Giant pandas are solitary, gathering only in times of mating. Females rear cubs for an average of 18 to 24 months. Potential predators of sub-adult pandas include leopards. They heavily rely on olfactory communication to communicate with one another; scent marks are used as chemical cues and on landmarks like rocks or trees. Giant pandas live long lives, with the oldest known individual dying at 38.

As a result of farming, deforestation, and other development, the giant panda has been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived, and it is a conservation-reliant vulnerable species. A 2007 report showed 239 pandas living in captivity inside China and another 27 outside the country. Some reports also show that the number of giant pandas in the wild is on the rise. By March 2015, the wild giant panda population had increased to 1,864 individuals. In 2016, it was reclassified on the IUCN Red List from "endangered" to "vulnerable", affirming decade-long efforts to save the panda. In July 2021, Chinese authorities also reclassified the giant panda as vulnerable. The giant panda has often served as China's national symbol, appeared on Chinese Gold Panda coins since 1982 and as one of the five Fuwa mascots of the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing.

Classification
For many decades, the precise taxonomic classification of the giant panda was under debate because it shares characteristics with both bears and raccoons. In 1985, molecular studies indicated the giant panda is a true bear, part of the family Ursidae. These studies show it diverged about from the common ancestor of the Ursidae; it is the most basal member of this family and equidistant from all other extant bear species. The giant panda has been referred to as a living fossil.

Etymology
The word panda was borrowed into English from French, but no conclusive explanation of the origin of the French word panda has been found. The closest candidate is the Nepali word ponya, possibly referring to the adapted wrist bone of the red panda, which is native to Nepal. In many older sources, the name "panda" or "common panda" refers to the red panda (Ailurus fulgens), which was described some 40 years earlier and over that period was the only animal known as a panda.

Since the earliest collection of Chinese writings, the Chinese language has given the bear many different names, including mò (貘, ancient Chinese name for giant panda), huāxióng (花熊; "spotted bear") and zhúxióng (竹熊; "bamboo bear"). The most popular names in China today are dàxióngmāo (大熊貓; lit. 'giant bear cat'), or simply xióngmāo (熊貓; lit. 'bear cat'). As with the word panda in English, xióngmāo (熊貓) was originally used to describe just the red panda, but dàxióngmāo (大熊貓) and xiǎoxióngmāo (小熊猫; lit. 'little bear cat') were coined to differentiate between the species.

In Taiwan, another popular name for panda is the inverted dàmāoxióng (大貓熊; lit. 'giant cat bear'), though many encyclopedias and dictionaries in Taiwan still use the "bear cat" form as the correct name. Some linguists argue, in this construction, "bear" instead of "cat" is the base noun, making the name more grammatically and logically correct, which have led to the popular choice despite official writings. This name did not gain its popularity until 1988, when a private zoo in Tainan painted a sun bear black and white and created the Tainan fake panda incident.

Subspecies
Two subspecies of giant panda have been recognized on the basis of distinct cranial measurements, colour patterns, and population genetics.
 * The nominate subspecies, A. m. melanoleuca, consists of most extant populations of the giant panda. These animals are principally found in Sichuan and display the typical stark black and white contrasting colours.
 * The Qinling panda, A. m. qinlingensis, is restricted to the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi at elevations of 1,300–3,000 m. The typical black and white pattern of Sichuan giant pandas is replaced with a light brown and white pattern. The skull of A. m. qinlingensis is smaller than its relatives, and it has larger molars.

A detailed study of the giant panda's genetic history from 2012 confirms that the separation of the Qinling population occurred about 300,000 years ago, and reveals that the non-Qinling population further diverged into two groups, named the Minshan and the Qionglai-Daxiangling-Xiaoxiangling-Liangshan group respectively, about 2,800 years ago.

Phylogeny
Of the eight extant species in the bear family Ursidae, the giant panda's lineage branched off the earliest.

Distribution
The giant panda is endemic to China. It is found in small, fragmented populations in six mountainous regions in the country, mainly in Sichuan, and also in neighbouring Shaanxi and Gansu. Successful habitat preservation has seen a rise in panda numbers, though loss of habitat due to human activities remains its biggest threat. In areas with a high concentration of medium to large sized mammalssuch as domestic cattle, a species known to degrade the landscapethe giant panda population is generally low. This is mainly attributed to the panda's avoidance of interspecific competition. The Daxiangling Mountain population inhabits both coniferous and broadleaf forests. They frequent habitats with a healthy concentration of bamboos, typically primary forests but may also be found in secondary forest habitats. The species have been recorded at elevations of 2400 to 3000 m above sea level.

Giant pandas once roamed across southeast Asia, and were found in habitats of northern Vietnam and Myanmar. Their range in China spanned much of the southeast region. By the Pleistocene, climate change affected panda populations, and the subsequent domination of modern humans led to large-scale habitat loss. In 2001, it was estimated that the range of the giant panda had declined by about 99% of its range in earlier millenniums.

Description
Adults measure around 1.2 to 1.9 m long, including a tail of about 10 - 15 cm, and 60 to 90 cm tall at the shoulder. Males can weigh up to 160 kg. Females (generally 10–20% smaller than males) can weigh as little as 70 kg, but can also weigh up to 125 kg. The average weight for adults is 100 to 115 kg.

The giant panda has a body shape typical of bears. It has black fur on its ears, eye patches, limbs and shoulders. The rest of the animal's coat is white. The bear's distinctive coloration appears to serve as camouflage in both winter and summer environments as they do not hibernate. The white areas serve as camouflage in snow, while the black shoulders and legs conceal them in shade. Studies in the wild have found that when viewed from a distance, the panda displays disruptive coloration, while up close, they rely more on blending in. The black ears may be used to display aggression, while the eye patches might facilitate them identifying one another. The giant panda's thick, woolly coat keeps it warm in the cool forests of its habitat. The panda's skull shape is typical of durophagous carnivorans. It has evolved from previous ancestors to exhibit larger molars with increased complexity and expanded temporal fossa. A study revealed that a 117.5 kg giant panda had a biteforce of 1298.9 newtons (BFQ 151.4) at canine teeth and 1815.9 newtons (BFQ 141.8) at carnassial teeth.

The giant panda's paw has a digit similar to a thumb and five fingers; the thumb-like digit – actually a modified sesamoid bone – helps it to hold bamboo while eating. The giant panda's tail, measuring 10 to 15 cm, is the second-longest in the bear family, behind the sloth bear. The giant panda typically lives around 20 years in the wild and up to 30 years in captivity. A female named Jia Jia was the oldest giant panda ever in captivity; she was born in 1978 and died at an age of 38 on 16 October 2016.

Diet
Despite its taxonomic classification as a carnivoran, the giant panda's diet is primarily herbivorous, with approximately 99% of its diet consisting of bamboo. However, the giant panda still has the digestive system of a carnivore, as well as carnivore-specific genes, and thus derives little energy and little protein from consumption of bamboo. The ability to break down cellulose and lignin is very weak, and their main source of nutrients comes from starch and hemicelluloses. The most important part of their bamboo diet is the shoots, that are rich in starch and have up to 32% protein content. Accordingly, pandas have evolved a higher capability to digest starches than strict carnivores. Raw bamboo is toxic, containing cyanide compounds. Pandas' body tissues are less able than herbivores to detoxify cyanide, but their gut microbiomes are significantly enriched in putative genes coding for enzymes related to cyanide degradation, suggesting that they have cyanide-digesting gut microbes. It has been estimated that an adult panda absorbs 54.8 – of cyanide a day through its diet. To prevent poisoning, they have evolved anti-toxic mechanisms to protect themselves. About 80% of the cyanide is metabolized to less toxic thiocyanate and discharged in urine, while the remaining 20% is detoxified by other minor pathways.

During the shoot season (AprilAugust), pandas store a large amount of food in preparation for the months succeeding this seasonal period, in which pandas live off a diet of bamboo leaves. The giant panda is a highly specialised 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 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 and necessary because of the rapid passage of large amounts of indigestible plant material through the short, straight digestive tract. It is also noted, however, that such rapid passage of digesta limits the potential of microbial digestion in the gastrointestinal tract, limiting alternative forms of digestion. Given this voluminous diet, the giant panda defecates up to 40 times a day. The limited energy input imposed on it by its diet has affected the panda's behavior. The giant panda tends to limit its social interactions and avoids steeply sloping terrain to limit its energy expenditures.

Two of the panda's most distinctive features, its large size and round face, are adaptations to its bamboo diet. Anthropologist Russell Ciochon observed: "[much] like the vegetarian gorilla, the low body surface area to body volume [of the giant panda] is indicative of a lower metabolic rate. This lower metabolic rate and a more sedentary lifestyle allows the giant panda to subsist on nutrient poor resources such as bamboo." The giant panda's round face is the result of powerful jaw muscles, which attach from the top of the head to the jaw. Large molars crush and grind fibrous plant material.

The morphological characteristics of extinct relatives of the giant panda suggest that while the ancient giant panda was omnivorous 7 million years ago (mya), it only became herbivorous some 2–2.4 mya with the emergence of A. microta. Genome sequencing of the giant panda suggests that the dietary switch could have initiated from the loss of the sole umami taste receptor, encoded by the genes TAS1R1 and TAS1R3 (also known as T1R1 and T1R3), resulting from two frameshift mutations within the T1R1 exons. Umami taste corresponds to high levels of glutamate as found in meat and may have thus altered the food choice of the giant panda. Although the pseudogenisation (conversion into a pseudogene) of the umami taste receptor in Ailuropoda coincides with the dietary switch to herbivory, it is likely a result of, and not the reason for, the dietary change. The mutation time for the T1R1 gene in the giant panda is estimated to 4.2 mya while fossil evidence indicates bamboo consumption in the giant panda species at least 7 mya, signifying that although complete herbivory occurred around 2 mya, the dietary switch was initiated prior to T1R1 loss-of-function.

Pandas eat any of 25 bamboo species in the wild, with the most common including Fargesia dracocephala and Fargesia rufa. Only a few bamboo species are widespread at the high altitudes pandas now inhabit. Bamboo leaves contain the highest protein levels; stems have less. Because of the synchronous flowering, death, and regeneration of all bamboo within a species, the giant panda must have at least two different species available in its range to avoid starvation. While primarily herbivorous, the giant panda still retains decidedly ursine teeth and will eat meat, fish, and eggs when available. In captivity, zoos typically maintain the giant panda's bamboo diet, though some will provide specially formulated biscuits or other dietary supplements.

Pandas will travel between different habitats if they need to, so they can get the nutrients that they need and to balance their diet for reproduction.

Interspecific interactions
Although adult giant pandas have few natural predators other than humans, young cubs are vulnerable to attacks by snow leopards, yellow-throated martens, eagles, feral dogs, and the Asian black bear. Sub-adults weighing up to 50 kg may be vulnerable to predation by leopards.

Giant pandas are sympatric with other large mammals and bamboo feeders, such as the takin (Budorcas taxicolor). The takin and giant panda share a similar ecological niche, and they consume the same resources. When competition for food is fierce, pandas disperse to the outskirts of takin distribution. Other possible competitors include but is not limited to, the Eurasian wild pig (Sus scrofa), Chinese goral (Naemorhedus griseus) and the Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus). Giant pandas avoid areas with a mid-to-high density of livestock, as they depress the vegetation. The Tibetan Plateau is the only known area where both giant and red pandas can be found. Although sharing near-identical ecological niches, competition between the two species has rarely been observed. Nearly 50% of their respective distribution overlaps, and successful coexistence is achieved through distinct habitat selection. They alter their behavioral patterns to feeding at dawn till the early twilight stages.

Pathogens and parasites
A captive female died from toxoplasmosis, a disease caused by an obligate intracellular parasitic protozoan known as Toxoplasma gondii that infects most warm-blooded animals, including humans. They are likely susceptible to diseases from Baylisascaris schroederi, a parasitic nematode known to infect giant panda intestines. This nematode species is known to give pandas baylisascariasi, a deadly disease that kills more wild pandas than any other cause. Additionally, the population is threatened by canine distemper virus (CDV), canine parvovirus, rotavirus, canine adenovirus, and canine coronavirus. Bacteria, such as Clostridium welchii, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli, may also be lethal.

Behavior
The giant panda is a terrestrial animal and primarily spends its life roaming and feeding in the bamboo forests of the Qinling Mountains and in the hilly province of Sichuan. Giant pandas are generally solitary. Each adult has a defined territory and a female is not tolerant of other females in her range. Social encounters occur primarily during the brief breeding season in which pandas in proximity to one another will gather. After mating, the male leaves the female alone to raise the cub. Pandas were thought to fall into the crepuscular category, those who are active twice a day, at dawn and dusk; however, pandas may belong to a category all of their own, with activity peaks in the morning, afternoon and midnight. The low nutrition quality of bamboo means pandas need to eat more frequently, and due to their lack of major predators they can be active at any time of the day. Activity is highest in June and decreases in late summer to autumn with an increase from November through the following March. Activity is also directly related to the amount of sunlight during colder days. There is a significant interaction of solar radiation, such that solar radiation has a stronger positive effect on activity levels of panda bears.

Pandas communicate through vocalisation and scent marking such as clawing trees or spraying urine. They are able to climb and take shelter in hollow trees or rock crevices, but do not establish permanent dens. For this reason, pandas do not hibernate, which is similar to other subtropical mammals, and will instead move to elevations with warmer temperatures. Pandas rely primarily on spatial memory rather than visual memory. Though the panda is often assumed to be docile, it has been known to attack humans on rare occasions. Pandas have been known to cover themselves in horse manure to protect themselves against cold temperatures.

Vocalizations
The species communicates foremost through a blatting sound. Giant pandas achieve peaceful interactions through the emission of this sound. When in oestrus, a female emits a chirp. In hostile confrontations or during fights, the giant panda emits vocalizations such as a roar or growl. On the other hand, squeals typically indicate inferiority and submission in a dispute. Other vocalizations include honks and moans.

Olfactory communication
Giant pandas heavily rely on olfactory communication to communicate with one another. Scent marks are used to spread these chemical cues and are placed on landmarks like rocks or trees. Chemical communication in giant pandas plays many roles in their social situations. Scent marks and odors are used to spread information about sexual status, whether a female is in estrus or not, age, gender, individuality, dominance over territory, and choice of settlement. Giant pandas communicate by excreting volatile compounds, or scent marks, through the anogenital gland. Giant pandas have unique positions in which they will scent mark. Males deposit scent marks or urine by lifting their hind leg, rubbing their backside, or standing in order to rub the anogenital gland onto a landmark. Females, however, exercise squatting or simply rubbing their genitals onto a landmark.

The season plays a major role in mediating chemical communication. Depending on the season, mainly whether it is breeding season or not, may influence which odors are prioritized. Chemical signals can have different functions in different seasons. During the non-breeding season, females prefer the odors of other females because reproduction is not their primary motivation. However, during breeding season, odors from the opposite sex will be more attractive. Because they are solitary mammals and their breeding season is so brief, female pandas secrete chemical cues in order to let males know their sexual status. The chemical cues female pandas secrete can be considered to be pheromones for sexual reproduction. Females deposit scent marks through their urine which induces an increase in androgen levels in males. Androgen is a sex hormone found in both males and females; testosterone is the major androgen produced by males. Civetone and decanoic acid are chemicals found in female urine which promote behavioral responses in males; both chemicals are considered giant panda pheromones. Male pandas also secrete chemical signals that include information about their sexual reproductivity and age, which is beneficial for a female when choosing a mate. For example, age can be useful for a female to determine sexual maturity and sperm quality. Pandas are also able to determine when the signal was placed, further aiding in the quest to find a potential mate. However, chemical cues are not just used for communication between males and females, pandas can determine individuality from chemical signals. This allows them to be able to differentiate between a potential partner or someone of the same sex, which could be a potential competitor.

Chemical cues, or odors, play an important role in how a panda chooses their habitat. Pandas look for odors that tell them not only the identity of another panda, but if they should avoid them or not. Pandas tend to avoid their species for most of the year, breeding season being the brief time of major interaction. Chemical signaling allows for avoidance and competition. Pandas whose habitats are in similar locations will collectively leave scent marks in a unique location which is termed "scent stations". When pandas come across these scent stations, they are able to identify a specific panda and the scope of their habitat. This allows pandas to be able to pursue a potential mate or avoid a potential competitor.

Pandas can assess an individual's dominance status, including their age and size, via odor cues and may choose to avoid a scent mark if the signaler's competitive ability outweighs their own. A pandas' size can be conveyed through the height of the scent mark. Since larger animals can place higher scent marks, an elevated scent mark advertises a higher competitive ability. Age must also be taken into consideration when assessing a competitor's fighting ability. For example, a mature panda will be larger than a younger, immature panda and possess an advantage during a fight.

Reproduction

Giant pandas reach sexual maturity between the ages of four and eight, and may be reproductive until age 20. The mating season is between March and May, when a female goes into estrus, which lasts for two or three days and only occurs once a year. When mating, the female is in a crouching, head-down position as the male mounts her from behind. Copulation time ranges from 30 seconds to five minutes, but the male may mount her repeatedly to ensure successful fertilisation. The gestation period is somewhere between 95 and 160 days - the variability is due to the fact that the fertilized egg may linger in the reproductive system for a while before implanting on the uterine wall. Giant pandas give birth to twins in about half of pregnancies. If twins are born, usually only one survives in the wild. The mother will select the stronger of the cubs, and the weaker cub will die due to starvation. The mother is thought to be unable to produce enough milk for two cubs since she does not store fat. The father has no part in helping raise the cub.

When the cub is first born, it is pink, blind, and toothless, weighing only 90 to 130 g, or about $1⁄800$ of the mother's weight, proportionally the smallest baby of any placental mammal. It nurses from its mother's breast six to 14 times a day for up to 30 minutes at a time. For three to four hours, the mother may leave the den to feed, which leaves the cub defenseless. One to two weeks after birth, the cub's skin turns grey where its hair will eventually become black. Slight pink colour may appear on the cub's fur, as a result of a chemical reaction between the fur and its mother's saliva. A month after birth, the colour pattern of the cub's fur is fully developed. Its fur is very soft and coarsens with age. The cub begins to crawl at 75 to 80 days; mothers play with their cubs by rolling and wrestling with them. The cubs can eat small quantities of bamboo after six months, though mother's milk remains the primary food source for most of the first year. Giant panda cubs weigh 45 kg (100 pounds) at one year and live with their mothers until they are 18 months to two years old. The interval between births in the wild is generally two years.

Initially, the primary method of breeding giant pandas in captivity was by artificial insemination, as they seemed to lose their interest in mating once they were captured. This led some scientists to trying methods such as showing them videos of giant pandas mating and giving the males sildenafil (commonly known as Viagra). In the 2000s, researchers started having success with captive breeding programs, and they have now determined giant pandas have comparable breeding to some populations of the American black bear, a thriving bear species.

In July 2009, Chinese scientists confirmed the birth of the first cub to be successfully conceived through artificial insemination using frozen sperm. The technique for freezing the sperm in liquid nitrogen was first developed in 1980 and the first birth was hailed as a solution to the dwindling availability of giant panda semen, which had led to inbreeding. Panda semen, which can be frozen for decades, could be shared between different zoos to save the species. As of 2009, it is expected that zoos in destinations such as San Diego in the United States and Mexico City will be able to provide their own semen to inseminate more giant pandas.

Attempts have also been made to reproduce giant pandas by interspecific pregnancy where cloned panda embryos were implanted into the uterus of an animal of another species. This has resulted in panda fetuses, but no live births.

Early references
In Ancient China, people thought pandas to be rare and noble creatures – the Empress Dowager Bo was buried with a panda skull in her vault. The grandson of Emperor Taizong of Tang is said to have given Japan two pandas and a sheet of panda skin as a sign of goodwill. Unlike many other animals in Ancient China, pandas were rarely thought to have medical uses. The few known uses include the Sichuan tribal peoples' use of panda urine to melt accidentally swallowed needles, and the use of panda pelts to control menstruation as described in the Qin dynasty encyclopedia Erya.

The creature named mo (貘) mentioned in some ancient books has been interpreted as giant panda. The dictionary Shuowen Jiezi (Eastern Han Dynasty) says that the mo, from Shu (Sichuan), is bear-like, but yellow-and-black, although the older Erya describes mo simply as a "white leopard". The interpretation of the legendary fierce creature pixiu (貔貅) as referring to the giant panda is also common.

During the reign of the Yongle Emperor (early 15th century), his relative from Kaifeng sent him a captured zouyu (騶虞), and another zouyu was sighted in Shandong. Zouyu is a legendary "righteous" animal, which, similarly to a qilin, only appears during the rule of a benevolent and sincere monarch.

In captivity
Pandas have been kept in zoos as early as the Western Han Dynasty in China, where the writer Sima Xiangru noted that the panda was the most treasured animal in the emperor's garden of exotic animals in the capital Chang'an (present Xi'an). Not until the 1950s were pandas again recorded to have been exhibited in China's zoos. Chi Chi at the London Zoo became very popular. This influenced the World Wildlife Fund to use a panda as its symbol. A 2006 New York Times article outlined the economics of keeping pandas, which costs five times more than keeping the next most expensive animal, an elephant. American zoos generally pay the Chinese government $1 million a year in fees, as part of a typical ten-year contract. San Diego's contract with China was to expire in 2008, but got a five-year extension at about half of the previous yearly cost. The last contract, with the Memphis Zoo in Memphis, Tennessee, ended in 2013.

In the 1970s, gifts of giant pandas to American and Japanese zoos formed an important part of the diplomacy of the People's Republic of China (PRC), as it marked some of the first cultural exchanges between China and the West. This practice has been termed "panda diplomacy". By 1984, however, pandas were no longer given as gifts. Instead, China began to offer pandas to other nations only on 10-year loans for a fee of up to US$1,000,000 per year and with the provision that any cubs born during the loan are the property of China. As a result of this change in policy, nearly all the pandas in the world are owned by China, and pandas leased to foreign zoos and all cubs are eventually returned to China. As of 2022, Xin Xin at the Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City, was the last living descendant of the gifted pandas.

Since 1998, because of a WWF lawsuit, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service only allows US zoos to import a panda if the zoo can ensure China channels more than half of its loan fee into conservation efforts for giant pandas and their habitat. In May 2005, China offered a breeding pair to Taiwan. The issue became embroiled in cross-Strait relations – due to both the underlying symbolism and technical issues such as whether the transfer would be considered "domestic" or "international" or whether any true conservation purpose would be served by the exchange. A contest in 2006 to name the pandas was held in the mainland, resulting in the politically charged names Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan (from, implying reunification). China's offer was initially rejected by Chen Shui-bian, then President of Taiwan. However, when Ma Ying-jeou assumed the presidency in 2008, the offer was accepted and the pandas arrived in December of that year.

In the 2020s, certain "celebrity pandas" have gained a cult following amongst internet users, with dedicated fan accounts existing to keep tabs on the animals. Known as "giant panda fever" or "panda-monium", individual pandas are known to get billions of views and engagements on social media, as well as product lines specifically emulating them. At Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, certain of these "celebrity pandas" are known to garner hours-long lines specifically to see them.

Conservation
The giant panda is a vulnerable species, threatened by continued habitat loss and habitat fragmentation, and by a very low birthrate, both in the wild and in captivity. Its range is confined to a small portion on the western edge of its historical range, which stretched through southern and eastern China, northern Myanmar, and northern Vietnam. The species is scattered into more than 30 subpopulations of relatively few animals. Building of roads and human settlement near panda habitat, result in population declines. Diseases from domesticated pets and livestock is another threat. By 2100, it is estimated that the distribution of giant pandas will shrink by up to 100%, mainly due to the effects of climate change. The giant panda is listed on CITES Appendix I, meaning trade of their parts is prohibited and that they require this protection to avoid extinction. They have been protected and placed in category 1, by the 1988 Wildlife Protection Act.

The giant panda has been a target of poaching by locals since ancient times and by foreigners since it was introduced to the West. Starting in the 1930s, foreigners were unable to poach giant pandas in China because of the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War, but pandas remained a source of soft furs for the locals. The population boom in China after 1949 created stress on the pandas' habitat and the subsequent famines led to the increased hunting of wildlife, including pandas. After the Chinese economic reform, demand for panda skins from Hong Kong and Japan led to illegal poaching for the black market, acts generally ignored by the local officials at the time. In 1963, the PRC government set up Wolong National Nature Reserve to save the declining panda population.

The giant panda is among the world's most adored and protected rare animals, and is one of the few in the world whose natural inhabitant status was able to gain a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation. The Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries, located in the southwest province of Sichuan and covering seven natural reserves, were inscribed onto the World Heritage List in 2006. A 2015 paper found that the giant panda can serve as an umbrella species as the preservation of their habitat also helps other endemic species in China, including 70% of the country's forest birds, 70% of mammals and 31% of amphibians.

In 2012, Earthwatch Institute, a global nonprofit that teams volunteers with scientists to conduct important environmental research, launched a program called "On the Trail of Giant Panda". This program, based in the Wolong National Nature Reserve, allows volunteers to work up close with pandas cared for in captivity, and help them adapt to life in the wild, so that they may breed, and live longer and healthier lives. Efforts to preserve the panda bear populations in China have come at the expense of other animals in the region, including snow leopards, wolves, and dholes. In order to improve living and mating conditions for the fragmented populations of pandas, nearly 70 natural reserves have been combined to form the Giant Panda National Park in 2020. With a size of 10,500 square miles, the park is roughly three times as large as Yellowstone National Park and incorporates the Wolong National Nature Reserve. Small, isolated populations run the risk of inbreeding and smaller genetic variety makes the individuals more vulnerable to various defects and genetic mutation.

Population
In 2006, scientists reported that the number of pandas living in the wild may have been underestimated at about 1,000. Previous population surveys had used conventional methods to estimate the size of the wild panda population, but using a new method that analyzes DNA from panda droppings, scientists believed the wild population were as large as 3,000. In 2006, there were 40 panda reserves in China, compared to just 13 reserves in 1998. As the species has been reclassified from "endangered" to "vulnerable" since 2016, the conservation efforts are thought to be working. Furthermore, in response to this reclassification, the State Forestry Administration of China announced that they would not accordingly lower the conservation level for panda, and would instead reinforce the conservation efforts.

In 2020, the panda population of the new national park was already above 1,800 individuals, which is roughly 80 percent of the entire panda population in China. Establishing the new protected area in the Sichuan Province also gives various other endangered or threatened species, like the Siberian tiger, the possibility to improve their living conditions by offering them a habitat. Other species who benefit from the protection of their habitat include the snow leopard, the golden snub-nosed monkey, the red panda and the complex-toothed flying squirrel.

In July 2021, Chinese conservation authorities announced that giant pandas are no longer endangered in the wild following years of conservation efforts, with a population in the wild exceeding 1,800. China has received international praise for its conservation of the species, which has also helped the country establish itself as a leader in endangered species conservation.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Giant panda


text:
Talk:GIF

PIG
This article should include the additions currently, i.e. after the rejection of APNG, under discussion to embed PNG in GIF, called PNG-in-GIF (PIG) and RGBA-in-GIF, whether they are accepted in the end or not.

Empty.gif
The LZW sequence of Empty.gif consists just of one byte 0x44. The minimum code size for this LZW sequence is 2. Decoding that works only if the decoder adds another byte with the lowest bit set (e.g.: [0x44, 0x01]). The decoder now works as follows: I have tested several GIF files and Empty.gif is the only GIF where the LZW decoder needs to read beyond the sequence. In all other GIFs I tested the LZW sequence ends with an end code and there is no need to go beyond the end of the LZW sequence. So either Empty.gif is not a correct encoded GIF or there is something missing in the explanation. In Wikipedia is also, which is encoded as 47494638 39610100 01008000 00ffffff 00000021 f9040000 GIF89a.............!.... 0000002c 00000000 01000100 00020244 01003b            ...,...........D..; Empty.gif is encoded as 47494638 39610100 01008000 00000000 ffffff21 f9040100 GIF89a.............!.... 0000002c 00000000 01000100 00020144 003b              ...,...........D.; You can see that Blank.gif uses an LZW sequence of [0x44, 0x01] which contains also an end code. -- Hans Bauer (talk • contribs) 10:35, 19 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Read the first 3 Bits from the LZW sequence --> 4
 * 4 is the clear code. So the LZW state is reset.
 * Read the next 3 Bits form the LZW sequence --> 0
 * 0 is the colormap entry for the only pixel in Empty.gif.
 * Read the next 3 Bits from the LZW sequence --> This would need the next byte from the sequence, but that does not exist.
 * If the next byte would have a value with the lowest bit set (such as 0x01) then reading 3 bits from the LZW sequence --> 5
 * 5 is the end code, so the LZW decoding is finished.

 * You are correct: Empty.gif is not coded correctly and should have a 2-byte sub-block to include the full 3 bits for the stop code, exactly as Blank.gif does.  Many decoders will ignore a screw-up like this if the stream contains enough data to fill out the pixels for the area described in the image descriptor.  Some will even assume pixel values of 0 to the end of the image if the stream ends prematurely. I've removed the code readout for Empty.gif:  it's not only incorrect, it contributes nothing to the discussion. -- Elphion (talk) 20:04, 19 March 2021 (UTC)
 * PS: The stop code is somewhat superfluous for GIF files (as opposed to, say, LZW-encoded text streams), since the decoder knows in advance how many pixel codes there should be.  As I indicated above, many (probably most) decoders won't blink too hard if the stop code is missing (as it effectively is in Empty.gif, which simply stops after the last data byte).  But both the 87a and 89a specs say that the stop code "must be the last code output by the encoder." -- Elphion (talk) 20:47, 19 March 2021 (UTC)

Application block for animated GIFs
A recent edit by user FaKen2021 claims that the application extension block added by Netscape to signal a repeating animation has an additional field for the length of the application name field. The 89a spec is quite explicit about the format of the application block, and it contains no such length field. It is possible for an application to fudge this, but a complying parser would not read it that way. Animated GIFs I have examined do not include such a field. -- Elphion (talk) 01:32, 20 April 2021 (UTC)

Apologies -- I misunderstood the edit because the description of the fields differed materially from the spec's definition. I have reinstated the edit and changed the annotations to conform to the spec. Thanks for catching the error in the original description. -- Elphion (talk) 02:00, 20 April 2021 (UTC)

GIF Spec
removed the link to https://www.w3.org/Graphics/GIF/spec-gif89a.txt, claiming that it is not the GIF spec. This is the document that has been circulating for decades as the GIF spec, and it is so labeled at W3C. The link should be restored. -- Elphion (talk) 22:16, 27 July 2021 (UTC)

 * Sorry, you're quite right. I've reverted my change. Dan Bloch (talk) 23:34, 27 July 2021 (UTC)

 * Thanks. -- Elphion (talk) 23:51, 27 July 2021 (UTC)

Improving the 'True color' section
The 'True color' section has several issues. I attempted to some of them but the whole contribution was reverted by. I'm not an (auto)confirmed user on the English wiki but if someone has a higher reputation whose edits are not reverted immediately feel free to cherry pick the valuable parts of my. The room for improvements I tried to cover:
 * The title: True color conventionally means at least 24/32bpp color depth. The current illustration is high color at best with its 1859 colors. Btw. technically there is no different in the approach and the "although larger tiles may be used and similar colors merged resulting in some loss of color information" part already gives the hint that simple high color approach is preferable to avoid huge file sizes.
 * Factually incorrect information: "Many rendering programs interpret tiles or layers as animation frames and display them in sequence as an endless animation " - not true, the mistakenly animated still images are played only once. The added reference is a repetition of an obsolete webarchive link that has nothing to do with looping.
 * Poor sources: The current article doesn't provide concrete examples for decoders that handle high color GIF images property. Instead, tells the aforementioned vague (and incorrectly described) behavior of browsers. The provided references for common delays are therefore tagged as 'better source needed'. I added concrete examples for properly working decoders and applications (GDI+, Windows Paint, .NET/.NET Framework applications using Windows Forms technology).
 * High color animation/still image distinction:
 * Technical distinction: I made it clear what makes a GIF animation or multi-layered image: "Multi-layer high color GIF images do not have the Netscape Application Extension Block that would describe the looping information for an animation, and the Graphic Control Extension blocks are either missing or all of them have zero delay. Some GIF decoders [...] handle them correctly as well; however, many other decoders, including some browsers treat zero delays as 100 millisecond ones even if the image is not an animation (it has no Netscape Application Extension Block)."
 * Thematic distinction: I admit I could've done it better. I split the section into separate animations/still images parts; however, I didn't really changed the animation part. But now the whole section thoroughly explains high color images whereas the title and the illustration is about animation, which might be confusing.
 * Obsolete references: The currently used obsolete webarchive reference contains an actual example for a high color GIF still image (titled as true color but it's actually a 15bpp example of 32K colors). Without removing the dead link, I included an additional reference to a live project that has illustrations for high color animations and images.
 * Still image illustration: As I'm not a confirmed contributor on the English wiki I could not upload an image example. In the end I added a commented out section with all the needed information along with the suggested description that triggered an 'Incorrectly formatted external link or image' tag (because I included the external image link in the comment)

I'm a bit disappointed that none of the changes met the local standards. I know it wasn't perfect (maybe even grammatically) but it definitely was an improvement compared to the current vague and somewhat misleading version. I hope this clarification (which took almost as much time as the original contribution) will be a good enough starting point for the higher respected contributors to improve the article. Feel free to remove this section once the corrections are done.

--TafferBoy (talk) 11:38, 6 December 2021 (UTC)

 * Response: First, and most important: although I reverted your edit, that does not mean there is nothing of value there.  That's why I suggested discussion on the talk page, so we could discuss a better way to present the material.

 * Title: True color is accurate.  It means the ability to address any color in the  16M color space -- not that an image must contain all of those colors.  The image in the article is 210 x 210 pixels = 44,100 pixels, so it certainly is not going to be able to display 16M colors -- and indeed, any example we provide here in thumbnail size will have a limited number of colors unless it is a very long animation -- which would not be appropriate, since we try to keep download time reasonable.  Similarly, a JPG or PNG image is not going to include all the colors unless it is pretty big (4k pixels squared), yet these are still "true color" formats.

 * Endless looping: You are quite correct that the display is not endless without a NAB extension block. I've removed the word "endless".  The incorrect display is still often displayed as an animation, even if displayed only once.  (The GCE block is described explicitly as enabling animation as it includes provision for time delays between frames.  NAB adds only the ability to run through the animation more than once.)

 * Poor/obsolete sources: The current source does not say that no platform displays these incorrectly, just that many browsers do. It's fine to add examples of platforms that display the images correctly; but then you have the task of choosing which ones to mention (and which ones not to mention) and finding references stating that they do display the images correctly.  It is still true that many browsers show true color GIFs as animations (including even Chrome) rather than pre-assembling the image in memory before display -- though I haven't seen a good survey more recent than the archived article.

 * Still image illustration: The current image attempts to show the difference in quality between a 256-color image and a higher color space, though unless you look closely it is hard to notice the difference. The image is not ideal: it attempts to alternate between 256 and full color (which is why it is animated).  I think a better approach would be to present a side by side comparison of still images, 256 vs full color.  (As you suggest, the animation draws attention away from the color issue.)  I have not searched Commons for a good full color candidate.  I would rather avoid using Lena:  a frequent example in CG papers, yes, but a Playboy companion nonetheless -- we don't have to perpetuate the exploitation of women here.  And in any event, an image that large won't display well in thumbnail size.

 * -- Elphion (talk) 13:52, 6 December 2021 (UTC)

 * Added: A good case can be made that the sequential display of the layers is not incorrect. The description of GCE does not require images to be pre-assembled, just that without explicit time delay, the delay should be 0.  But any large image will take time to download; it is still common to see spatially large images displayed progressively as the bits are downloaded.  GIF and PNG, e.g., both give some control over how that progressive display is assembled (via interleaving).  Similarly, an image with large color-depth may take time to download, and the sequential display of GIF frames is in some sense a way of managing that too.  What is a mistake (as seen in older browsers) is inserting a non-0 delay between frames when no time delay is specified. -- Elphion (talk) 14:12, 6 December 2021 (UTC)

 * And more: This section is about True Color in GIF, not about animation. We give details of the animation machinery in the section on animation.  There's no good reason I can see for repeating that information in the True Color section. -- Elphion (talk) 14:51, 6 December 2021 (UTC)

"The GCE block is described explicitly as enabling animation as it includes provision for time delays between frames. NAB adds only the ability to run through the animation more than once."

 * Actually GCE is needed also when the image has overlapping layers such as in the high color Lena example because it specifies the transparent color index for local palette blocks. Still, GDI+, Windows Paint and the mentioned examples treat it correctly as a single frame image. The existence of NAB is what changes the interpretations of full 0 delays: if NAB presents, then even these applications treat the image as an animation where 0 values are translated to 100ms delays (or, if the app does not support animations, such as Windows Paint, then only the first frame will be displayed).

"The image is not ideal [...] I think a better approach would be to present a side by side comparison [...] I would rather avoid using Lena"

 * The linked project has also a 256x256 icon example. Fairly small (45K), 4363 colors. The same folder contains also the PNG version that can be used for comparison. As it has transparent background, it can illustrate an important difference: the high color GIF image cannot have partial transparency. And if you would like to add a regular 8bpp GIF as well, the linked tool on the project site allows you to create it with whatever ditherers. Feel free to generate the best looking samples as I could not upload them anyway. — Preceding unsigned comment added by TafferBoy (talk • contribs) 16:57, 6 December 2021 (UTC)

Of course GCE is required if the image uses transparency (but the article has already said that). My point is simply that GCE (not NAB) is where the delay (if any) is specified. Most programs I've seen include a minimum delay when displaying the image even if the delays are set to 0 (or other small value), regardless of whether NAB is present. I don't know why; it might simply be the overhead of setting up a new frame, or the thread might simply be yielding momentarily to avoid freezing up the system when displaying a large image with an unknown number of frames.

The behavior you describe in GDI+ (inserting default delays if NAB is present but not otherwise) is very interesting. I haven't observed that behavior elsewhere. On the other hand, I do frequently see programs (like Windows Image/Photo Viewer and any number of image editing programs) that will display only the first frame (and will save only one frame per image file).

On balance, I think what needs changing is (a) finding a nice pair of still images to illustrate the difference, and (b) rewriting the last paragraph of the section to avoid the notion of "incorrect" display, simply saying that different platforms handle such images differently -- from displaying only the first frame, to inserting minimum default delays between the frames.

Do you own the rights to the images you linked to on GitHub? If so, we could use the image with the color gradient and a 256-color variant to illustrate the difference. (I see the "License" paragraph on the GitHub page, but to import the image to Wikepedia or Commons I think it would have to be released with one of the standard licenses, rather than "KGy SOFT License 1.0". See wp:Image use policy.)  The Warning sign image is another possibility, but I'm not sure why you say a full color GIF cannot have "partial transparency":  if all layers mark a pixel transparent, it should be transparent. Another possibility is simply splitting the current example into two separate images: one with 256 colors, the other with 1859 -- the difference will be much easier to see without the animation.

-- Elphion (talk) 20:38, 6 December 2021 (UTC)

"Do you own the rights to the images you linked to on GitHub?"

 * The 'de facto' test images can be reused but Lena is problematic for other reasons, I'm unsure about the Windows icons but since there is a Wiki category for them I think it's okay, too; and as for the Granger rainbow, it can be simply generated, source is included. Btw. the license says that all non-SW like materials should be treated as the ones fall under CC BY 4.0.

"I'm not sure why you say a full color GIF cannot have 'partial transparency'"

 * I mean the GIF format does not support partial alpha so pixels can be either completely transparent not at all. The original icon has a nice partially transparent shadow, whereas it's not supported by the GIF image (GCE can designate one palette entry to represent the transparent color; otherwise, palette entries have only RGB values). Therefore the icon is a good example because it clearly demonstrates this feature.

TafferBoy (talk) 20:57, 7 December 2021 (UTC)

Followed or follow?
In GIF / third to last para (starting: "Following this announcement ...") / second to last sentence says:

(I capitalized the words and letters concerned, for convenience.)

For instance the libungif library, based on Eric S. Raymond's giflib, allows creation of GIFs that FOLLOWED the data format but AVOIDED the compression features, thus avoiding use of the Unisys LZW patent.

Shouldn't this "followED" be "follow" and "avoidED" be "avoid"?

Ping welcome, Steue (talk) 11:22, 30 May 2022 (UTC)

 * Yes. -- Elphion (talk) 11:51, 30 May 2022 (UTC)

Changing the respell
Hi, I'd like to propose to change the respelling from "JIF" to "DJIF". This will avoid confusion with "dʒ" and "ʒ". $$M^{atr1x-}_{101}$$ { userpage! | talk! } 22:12, 28 November 2022 (UTC)

 * This will also avoid confusion with "" (y sound) in IPA $$M^{atr1x-}_{101}$$ { userpage! | talk! } 16:28, 30 November 2022 (UTC)

 * Respell uses common English letter-values according to a well-defined WP scheme. The current respellings follow the guidelines. -- Elphion (talk) 21:27, 30 November 2022 (UTC)
 * I think that WP:IGNORE applies and that "JIF" could be confused with " (with a "j" as in "hallelujah)"" or "". Besides, there's not much people can confuse "DJIF" with. $$M^{atr1x-}_{101}$$ { userpage! | talk! } 17:38, 1 December 2022 (UTC)
 * I certainly don't agree. The conventions for Respell are quite clear.  It is not IPA (nor meant to be), and native speakers of English (who are the intended audience) will not be confused. The article already provides IPA for non-native speakers. -- Elphion (talk) 20:03, 1 December 2022 (UTC)
 * @Elphion I don't understand the problem with making it "DJIF". It will help, at least a few confused people and it won't really confuse anyone! Besides, the page you cited Help:Pronunciation respelling key doesn't look like a strict convention that must always be followed. I'm saying "GIF" is an exception due to its unique nature as a word. $$M^{atr1x-}_{101}$$ { userpage! | talk! } 21:17, 1 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Again, I disagree. The average English speaker will understand "JIF" at once, wouldn't have a clue how to pronounce "DJIF", since "DJ" almost never occurs in English, especially in initial position. Respell is designed to use standard English spelling conventions, and "JIF" conforms to those exactly. -- Elphion (talk) 00:00, 2 December 2022 (UTC)

GIFs with sound?
Apparently you can now have GIFs with sound. They appear to have better than 8-bit colour as well.

I haven't found any official specs anywhere yet though. Cb27p (talk) 15:32, 9 July 2023 (UTC)

Discuss that most people will call GIFs what actually is not a GIF?
> In January 2016, Telegram started re-encoding all GIFs to MPEG-4 videos that "require up to 95% less disk space for the same image quality."[76]

https://techcrunch.com/2014/06/19/gasp-twitter-gifs-arent-actually-gifs/

I think many many websites describe small videos as GIFs, even when internally they use something else. I suspect this is worth adding to the page? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.116.36.51 (talk) 15:42, 5 October 2023 (UTC)

 * What you need is a Reliable Source. -- Elphion (talk) 15:47, 5 October 2023 (UTC)
 * I'm going to try to edit the page to include a reference to this article from The Atlantic, which seems to be a pretty good article regarding GIF's decline both as a file format and as a general communication medium ("reaction GIFs"), and also covers how most sites actually host MP4s instead. --TheSophera (talk) 23:00, 20 October 2023 (UTC)

The "example gif"
GIF -- where is it? The "sample image" at the top of the section links to File:GifSample.gif, which isn't it (this is an enlarged GIF which is 32x52 and has a border). Where is the actual 3x5 gif that's referred to in the section? Is it on Commons? It can't be reconstructed from the information given because it truncates and skips over portions. jp×g🗯 04:03, 18 November 2023 (UTC)

 * Spelunking... nothing on Commons, nothing in the uploader's log... we get, I guess... whatever this is. jp×g🗯 04:13, 18 November 2023 (UTC)

 * I doubt that Cuddlyable3 ever uploaded the file. (It's so small there's hardly any point.)  I agree that it's a little difficult to reconstruct the file, but it's not impossible.  The only data missing are the contents of the Global Color Table (which can be retrieved from the image of the palette) and the indexes of the colors being used for Black and White.  (Both colors appear more than once in the color table.) The indexes chosen happen to be Black = 0x28 and White = 0xFF.  (The other contents of the color table don't really matter, since those are the only indexes used.)  The codes generated by the algorithm and packed into the data bytes are:
 * 100 (clear) | 28 (B) | FF (W) | 103 (WW) | 102 (BW) | 103 (WW) | 106 (WWW) | 107 (WWWW) | 101 (stop)
 * Any choice of index for B and W will generate the same sequence, except 28 and FF will be replaced by whatever indexes you choose for B and W. (We should mention that for this example Black=28 and White=FF.)
 * -- Elphion (talk) 19:18, 18 January 2024 (UTC)

 * And actually, the two indexes (decimal 40 and 255) are already mentioned in the text ahead of the table. -- Elphion (talk) 19:34, 18 January 2024 (UTC)

 * Well, I looked a bit further. It turns out that there are several versions of the palette image, each with slightly different colors than the others. All have Black in slot 28 hex and White in FF hex, but none has precisely #800000 in slot 01, which is what is shown in the table. All are similar to the usual MS Paint 256-color palette (which does have #80000 in slot 01) -- and the article claims the original came from MS Paint. So the original palette was likely the Paint palette. As I wrote above, it doesn't really matter what the other colors are, so a reasonable facsimile of the original 3x5 image can be reconstructed simply by creating a GIF in MS Paint and using the color table from that image as the color table in the 3x5 image. The rest of the data in the 3x5 image is shown in the table. -- Elphion (talk) 09:05, 19 January 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:GIF


text:
Talk:Giant panda

"Pandas" listed at Redirects for discussion
The redirect [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pandas&redirect=no Pandas] has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at  until a consensus is reached. Bonoahx (talk) 22:50, 22 April 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 1 June 2023
change intermission to intromission in the Reproduction and Parenting section. 142.113.214.19 (talk) 00:44, 1 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. "intermission" does not appear at all in the article that I can find. In which sentence do you see it? Cannolis (talk) 00:54, 1 June 2023 (UTC)

Subspecies
3 subspecies are listed, but I can find no reference anywhere to "a.m.hastorni".

Unless someone can point to a valid reference, it should be removed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.144.30.52 (talk) 15:18, 22 July 2023 (UTC)

 * It looks like that was added by with this edit. It's been over five years, but perhaps they can recall where that information was from? —Carter (Tcr25) (talk) 15:54, 22 July 2023 (UTC)
 * No idea. I probably just copied it from Spanish Wikipedia. The subspecies is listed there too. I am not opposed to its removal. Super Dromaeosaurus (talk) 16:06, 22 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks! Looking at es-wiki, added the subspecies to the infobox with this edit, but I don't see A.m. hastorni) in the text before or after that addition. —Carter (Tcr25) (talk) 16:31, 22 July 2023 (UTC)
 * I'm going to remove it at this point. es-wiki had a page [for Ailuropoda melanoleuca hastorni that's been deleted three times as vandalism. On en-wiki, this 2017 edit to [[Ailuropoda]] removed the mention of A.m. hastorni due to a lack of any sources that didn't seem to trace back to Wikipedia. That same edit shows that the common name being given for that subspecies was "Eastern panda," which doesn't help. zh-wiki gives 云南大熊猫 as the common name, which was added with this edit. That translates to Yunnan giant panda, but the only mentions to a Yunnan panda are connected to a 2015 poaching instance. While that incident showed the pandas to be present in an area where they were previously thought to have been wiped out, there's no indication that they are or were a different subspecies. —Carter (Tcr25) (talk) 16:51, 22 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Maybe they should be removed from the other Wikipedias as well. If it's a legit subspecies, someone should restore it eventually anyway. It's not like this kind of things are so obscure. It's likely a hoax. Super Dromaeosaurus (talk) 23:36, 22 July 2023 (UTC)
 * ✅ Well, I just ran through the full list of sister project articles from the sidebar. Most didn't list subspecies, a lot only had A. m. melanoleuca and A. m. qinlingensis. I removed A. m. hastorni from infoboxes in nine projects (I couldn't remove the tenth instance — zh-wiki, where the page is protected from me editing it). Hopefully the English-language edit comment (or a Google Translate version) will help avoid reverts... I could have missed one or two where the Latin name was rendered in local characters or where the subspeieces information was in a collapsed or otherwise inobvious place. —Carter (Tcr25) (talk) 18:53, 24 July 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 28 September 2023
172.127.157.33 (talk) 17:17, 28 September 2023 (UTC) Panda bears are vurnerable
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. If you mean to note their conservation status as a vulnerable species, that is already covered in the article.  BelowTheSun  (T•C) 17:22, 28 September 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 5 October 2023
Change US$1.5 billion to US $1.5 billion 172.127.157.33 (talk) 17:09, 5 October 2023 (UTC)

 * change it pls it makes no sense Skmdasdadasdk (talk) 17:24, 5 October 2023 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: this is the correct format. - UtherSRG (talk) 17:41, 5 October 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 5 October 2023
change Predators. Although adult giant pandas have few natural predators other than humans, young cubs are vulnerable to attacks by snow leopards, yellow-throated martens, eagles, feral dogs, and the Asian black bear. to Predators. Although adult giant pandas have few natural predators other than humans, young cubs are vulnerable to attacks by snow leopards, yellow-throated martens, eagles, feral dogs, and the Asian black bear. Sub-adults weighing up to 50 kg (110 lb) may be vulnerable to predation by leopards. Skmdasdadasdk (talk) 17:23, 5 October 2023 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. UtherSRG (talk) 17:39, 5 October 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 10 October 2023
change giant panda to panda bear 172.127.157.33 (talk) 16:35, 10 October 2023 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. UtherSRG (talk) 16:44, 10 October 2023 (UTC)

The closest word for Panda is the Nepali word "Panja" and not "Ponya".
Hi, I have already tried editing the word "Ponya" to the correct term "Panja" multiple times, only to have it reverted by the editors. I am extremely sorry if I do not know how to properly cite the source. I want to do my best to get this information corrected as the word "ponya" does not exist in the Nepali language. The closest word is "Ponja", which is just an incorrect way of spelling "Panja".

Panja refers to claws, palm or fang. The word "panja" is also used in the Hindi language.

I do not know how to make the proper edit. If any editor is reading this, can you please edit the word "ponya" to "panja" and cite the source necessary?

Some sources are:

https://dictionary.nepaliexpert.com/search/term/panjA

https://www.shabdkosh.com/search-dictionary?lc=hi&sl=en&tl=hi&e=%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%BE FateXBlood (talk) 13:53, 10 April 2024 (UTC)

 * The source you provided is not reliable. Wolverine XI   ( talk to me ) 14:01, 10 April 2024 (UTC)
 * See Red panda and respective reliable sources therein. BhagyaMani (talk) 14:03, 10 April 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 1 June 2024
The below is to make the wording a little better and reduce run on

Change

“The shoot is an important energy source, as it contains starch and is 32% protein, hence pandas evolved the ability to effectively digest starch.”

To

“Pandas evolved the ability to effectively digest starch, making the shoot an important energy source. Though mostly starch, bamboo shoots are 32% protein, and therefore a good substitute for a carnivorous diet.”

Or something like that. LPantalons (talk) 15:34, 1 June 2024 (UTC)
 * ✅ UtherSRG (talk) 20:21, 1 June 2024 (UTC)
 * Is there a source for bamboo shoots being 32% protein? Seems more likely to be 3.2%. Derryp (talk) 22:43, 1 June 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Giant panda


text:
Glissando

In music, a glissando (plural: glissandi, abbreviated gliss.) is a glide from one pitch to another. It is an Italianized musical term derived from the French glisser, "to glide". In some contexts, it is equivalent to portamento, which is a continuous, seamless glide between notes. In other contexts, it refers to discrete, stepped glides across notes, such as on a piano. Some terms that are similar or equivalent in some contexts are slide, sweep bend, smear, rip (for a loud, violent glissando to the beginning of a note), lip (in jazz terminology, when executed by changing one's embouchure on a wind instrument), plop, or falling hail (a glissando on a harp using the back of the fingernails). On wind instruments, a scoop is a glissando ascending to the onset of a note achieved entirely with the embouchure, except on instruments that have a slide (such as a trombone).

Notation
The glissando is indicated by following the initial note with a line, sometimes wavy, in the desired direction, often accompanied by the abbreviation gliss.. Occasionally, the desired notes are notated in the standard method (i.e. semiquavers) accompanied by the word 'glissando'.

Discrete glissando
On some instruments (e.g., piano, harp, xylophone), discrete tones are clearly audible when sliding. For example, on a keyboard, a player's fingernails can be made to slide across the white keys or over the black keys, producing either a C major scale or an F♯ major pentatonic scale, or their relative modes; by performing both at once, it is possible to produce a full chromatic scale. Maurice Ravel used glissandi in many of his piano compositions, and "Alborada del Gracioso" contains notable piano glissando passages in thirds executed by the right hand. Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Liszt and Gershwin have all used glissandi for piano in notable compositions.

Organ players—particularly in contemporary music—sometimes employ an effect known as the palm glissando, where over the course of the glissando the flat of the hand is used to depress a wide area of keys simultaneously, resulting in a dramatic atonal sweep. A similar device on the piano are cluster-glissandos, used extensively by Karlheinz Stockhausen in Klavierstück X, and which "more than anything else, lend the work its unique aural flavour". On a harp, the player can slide their finger across the strings, quickly playing the scale (or on pedal harp even arpeggios such as C♭-D-E♯-F-G♯-A♭-B). Wind, brass, and fretted-stringed-instrument players can perform an extremely rapid chromatic scale (e.g., sliding up or down a string quickly on a fretted instrument).

Arpeggio effects (likewise named glissando) are also obtained by bowed strings (playing harmonics) and brass, especially the horn.

Continuous glissando
Musical instruments with continuously variable pitch are capable of continuous glissando, sometimes called portamento, over a substantial range. These include unfretted chordophones (such as the violin, viola, cello and double bass, and fretless guitars), stringed instruments with a way of stretching the strings (such as the guitar, veena, or sitar), a fretted guitar or lap steel guitar when accompanied with the use of a slide, wind instruments without valves or stops (such as the trombone or slide whistle), timpani (kettledrums), electronic instruments (such as the theremin, the ondes Martenot, synthesizers and keytars), the water organ, and the human voice.

Wind instruments can effect a similar limited slide by altering the lip pressure (on trumpet, for example) or a combination of embouchure and rolling the head joint (as on the flute), while others such as the clarinet can achieve this by slowly dragging fingers off tone holes or changing the oral cavity's resonance by manipulating tongue position, embouchure, and throat shaping.

Many electric guitars are fitted with a tremolo arm which can produce either a portamento, a vibrato, or a combination of both (but not a true tremolo despite the name).

Prescriptive attempts to distinguish the glissando from the portamento by limiting the former to discrete, stepped glides conflict with established usage of the term for instruments like the trombone and timpani. The clarinet gesture that opens Rhapsody in Blue was originally notated as a stepped glissando (Gershwin's score labels each individual note) but is in practice played as a portamento.

Bent note
A bent note is a musical note that is varied in pitch. With unfretted strings or other continuous-pitch instruments such as the trombone, or with the human voice, such variation is more properly described in terms of intonation. A note is commonly bent to a higher pitch on fretted instruments literally by bending the string with excess finger pressure, and to a lower pitch on harmonica (a free-reed aerophone) by altering the vocal tract to shift the resonance of the reed. On brass instruments such as the trumpet, the note is bent by using the lip. "Indeterminately pitched instruments [such as unpitched percussion instruments and friction drum rolls]...produce a pitch or pitch spectrum that becomes higher with an increase of dynamic and lower with a decrease of dynamic."

The bent note is commonly found in various forms of jazz, blues, and rock.

title: Glissando