Elizabeth Bacon, age 10, of Gary, Ind., for her question:

What kind of animal is the panda?

Most of us know about the giant panda, though few of us have seen him. He is a furry, 300 pound native of Tibet and southwestern china, and he is very rare in zoos away from home. The giant panda is white with black stockings, collar, ears and eye patches. He looks somewhat like a husky bear, but his nature is gentle. He dines mostly on plants, plus a little meat.

The lesser panda is the small cousin of the giant panda. His fluffy body is about two feet long, plus two more feet of fluffy tail. The lesser panda is a tree dwelling native of Nepal and Burma. When scared, he hisses and spits and tends to scratch with his catty claws.