Panda profiles: integrating personality, cognition, and physiology for conservation success

Abstract The alarming decline in biodiversity necessitates a comprehensive understanding of animal adaptations to environmental changes. Behavioural syndromes, which encompass consistent patterns of behaviour across various contexts, play a crucial role in animal adaptation and survival. In this study, we investigated behavioural syndromes in giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), a keystone species in global conservation efforts. Using a comprehensive array of behavioural assays, we assessed the cognitive functions and personality traits of giant pandas, linking these traits to physiological stress indicators—faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) concentrations—and established behavioural syndromes across both captive and wild settings. Our findings delineate proactive-reactive coping styles, demonstrating that proactive individuals exhibit lower baseline fGCM concentrations and enhanced exploratory behaviours, thereby suggesting superior stress resilience. Additionally, we identified clear lateralization in behaviour and found that left-handedness and stronger lateralization were indicative of a more reactive personality, underscoring the functional differences between brain hemispheres in controlling emotions and behaviours. Field studies extended these insights to wild populations, suggesting that fGCM concentrations may exhibit contrasting relationships with human disturbance at intra-individual and inter-individual levels in pandas. This study is the first to integrate personality traits, cognitive abilities, and hormonal baselines in giant pandas. Building on these integrative findings, we propose a conservation framework that embeds individual behavioural phenotypes into management decisions and calls for customized reintroduction and protection strategies.