Red panda

Distribution

Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder.

Habitats

The following habitats are found across the Red panda distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.

Broadleaf forest
Coniferous forest

Behaviours

Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.

• Helpless young
• Tree dweller
• Adapted to climbing
• Acoustic communication
• Herbivorous
• Altitude tolerant
• Maternal care
• Nocturnal
• Chemical communication
• Territorial
• Visual communication
• Viviparous

About

The red panda (Ailurus fulgens), also called lesser panda and red cat-bear, is a small arboreal mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China that has been classified as Vulnerable by IUCN as its wild population is estimated at less than 10,000 mature individuals. The population continues to decline and is threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and inbreeding depression, although red pandas are protected by national laws in their range countries.

The red panda is slightly larger than a domestic cat. It has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs. It feeds mainly on bamboo, but is omnivorous and also eats eggs, birds, insects, and small mammals. It is a solitary animal, mainly active from dusk to dawn, and is largely sedentary during the day.

The red panda is the only living species of the genus Ailurus and the family Ailuridae. It has been previously placed in the raccoon and bear families, but results of phylogenetic research indicate strong support for its taxonomic classification in its own family Ailuridae, which along with the weasel family is part of the superfamily Musteloidea. Two subspecies are recognized. It is not closely related to the giant panda.

Read more at Wikipedia