Giant Pandas Suffering From Jet Lag Have An Impact In Their Wellbeing

Scientists believe that giant pandas in cages may suffer from "jet lag" if their biological clocks do not match their environment.

Animals, like humans, have a circadian rhythm, which is an internal body clock that is regulated by environmental stimuli and regulates when to undertake specific tasks, such as sleeping and feeding.

However, according to a study published in the Frontiers in Psychology journal, when environmental cues do not match those of their native habitat, pandas may begin to behave strangely, potentially harming the already-endangered species.

"When internal clocks are not synchronized with external cues like light and temperature, animals experience adverse effects. In humans, this can range from jet lag to metabolic issues and seasonal affective disorder," said lead study author Kristine Gandia, a PhD student at the University of Stirling in Scotland.

Read Also: Plankton Get Jet Lagged Too?

Understanding the latitude

Gandia and a group of observers set out to understand how the "jet lag" of living at latitudes where animals did not evolve can impact them.

Giant pandas have a latitudinal range of 26 to 42 degrees north.

Gandia suggested that matching latitudes between 26 and 42 degrees south be investigated, as these correspond to temperature and lighting conditions. Matching latitudes could also be considered between 26 and 42 degrees south, as these mirror the temperature and lighting conditions.

A team of 13 observers monitored 11 giant pandas at six different zoos, all of which were born in captivity.

The zoos were not recognized, but they were broadly divided between the animals' normal latitude range and those outside that area. Those that matched were in latitudes similar to their normal habitat in China, but they may have been in other countries as well.

The observers recorded the entire repertoire of giant panda behavior, trying to account for behaviors that are positive, neutral, and negative indicators of welfare.

Both daylight and temperature were discovered to be key indicators for pandas.

Three peak activities

Scientists noted that the confined animals demonstrated three peaks of activity over a 24-hour period, one of which occurred at night, precisely as they would in their natural home.

Adult pandas' sexual conduct was only observed during the day, which may make it easier for them to find mates in the wild.

Those kept in captivity outside of their home latitude were found to be less active, which could be due to differences in lighting and temperature cues from their natural environment.

"When giant pandas are housed at higher latitudes - meaning they experience more extreme seasons than they evolved with - this changes their levels of general activity and abnormal behavior," Gandia said in an interview.

She further added that the term 'jet lag' does not apply to the acute difficulty to sleep at appropriate times caused by rapidly changing time zones, but rather to the possible inability to properly adjust to environmental conditions and cues at latitudes that pandas have not evolved to survive in.

As a result, certain internal clocks or actions may become desynchronized with the environment or with each other

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