Giant pandas are one of the world’s most iconic endangered species, due to their distinctive black and white face and reputation for being docile and inactive most of the time. According to a report from RT, new research shows that it may not entirely be the panda’s fault that it’s so lazy – it has more to do with their metabolism than their lack of aspirations.

The giant panda is under a severe threat of extinction, and conservationists report there are only about 1,800 individuals remaining in wild in their native south-central China. The bear eats a diet made almost entirely of percent bamboo, but occasionally eats other grasses and wild tubers.

In a study published in the journal Science last Thursday, scientists tracked the day-to-day lives of five captive pandas and three wild ones to try and figure out why they appeared to be lazy most of the time. The study confirmed that the panda lives a low-intensity lifestyle. They need just about as much energy to function as a three-toed sloth.

The giant pandas’ energy needs are some of the lowest in the animal kingdom – they use only about 38 percent of the energy that is typically used by smaller mammals on average.

The study revealed that pandas need so little energy due to the size of the panda’s brain, liver, and kidneys. Since these organs are much tinier than the pandas bear cousins’, they simply doesn’t need as much fuel to keep their bodies running. A steady diet of bamboo will work just fine

Although the giant panda appears lazy, it is really just fuel-efficient. Its low metabolism is made to digest bamboo, and they seem perfectly happy to continue munching enormous amounts of the plant.