Are pandas dangerous? These cuddly creatures have a surprising bite.

Pandas are known for their bamboo-chewing habits and potential as cuddly companions.

These creatures are native to Central China, but just over 1,800 live in their natural habitat. About 600 pandas live in zoos and breeding centers, the Smithsonian National Zoo reports. They are similar to bears in size and in genetics: Giant pandas are related closest to polar bears, Phys.org writes.

If you’re in the mood for a laugh and a swoon, check out this video of giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian playing in the snow at the National Zoo.

Are pandas dangerous?

While pandas are regarded as cuddly, quiet animals, they certainly have a dangerous side when they feel threatened.

They’re solitary creatures and like to avoid confrontation, the World Wildlife Fund reports, but have sharp claws and teeth and may attack to protect themselves or their cubs if provoked.

The International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine examined three cases of giant panda attacks to warn people the animals could potentially be dangerous. In one case, a drunken tourist at the Beijing City Zoo jumped into the giant panda enclosure to try and pet the panda, only to have his calf severely bitten. He was left with a skin defect and an open injury. In the two other cases, male tourists accidentally fell into the enclosures, and the giant pandas bit them.

In another incident, a giant panda severely injured a Chinese wildlife conservationist. Wei Hua, who was looking after the panda, suffered severe wounds, including slashed ankles, broken bones, muscle loss and losing a third of his left palm, People's Daily Online reported.

There are no records of a panda having killed a human, but past attacks clearly show you should exercise caution if entering a panda’s space.

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Are pandas peaceful?

As stuffed animals, in popular culture and in animal stereotypes, pandas are seen as peaceful and lazy creatures. This is not exactly true, research scientist Bill McShea wrote in The Washington Post.

“Indeed, they do harm one another, particularly when males are establishing dominance or competing for females,” McShea writes. “Males in China’s Qinling Mountains are often observed with torn ears and bite wounds from tussling with other males.”

Pandas are slow, but they are more active than other bears because they do not hibernate and are constantly in search of food. As McShea writes, “Giant pandas are not lazy, just comfortable.”

Can you pet a panda?

Luckily, there are ways to pet pandas under supervision. If you’ll stop at nothing to cuddle with one of these creatures, there are a few ways you can volunteer your time and energy to do so in China.

Check out the one-day Dujiangyan Panda Volunteer Program, which costs about $208 and involves some not-so-glamourous work like cleaning panda droppings and enclosures, but does offer a chance to hang out with and feed pandas.

There’s also the Wolong Nature Reserve’s Shenshuping Base panda volunteer program, which is a two-day program that involves a visit to a panda museum, cleaning and feeding pandas and a visit to the breeding area. This program is about $367 a person, China Discovery reports.

Are pandas endangered?

Pandas were classified as endangered in 1990, but the International Union for the Conservation of Nature moved them up a spot to “vulnerable” in a 2016 report. According to National Geographic, this is thanks to two factors — decreased poaching and a habitat expansion courtesy of China’s panda reserves.

Still, Chinese scientists and officials still classified pandas as endangered until 2021. In the time between the two declarations, China designated a Giant Panda National Park to cover 70% of pandas’ habitat and, globally, the number of pandas in captive-breeding programs doubled, according to National Geographic.

Pandas aren’t entirely in the clear, however. Deforestation and forest changes threaten habitat space, and there are now more habitats near northern Chinese boars, which compete for bamboo shoots and carry diseases that can transmit to pandas.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Are pandas dangerous or peaceful? How to pet these cuddly animals.