Here’s an in-depth overview of red pandas, complete with photographs and insightful facts. You may presume, based on its moniker, that the red panda shares kinship with the giant panda. However, that assumption would be incorrect. In reality, this adorable mammal, comparable in size to a housecat and native to Asia, isn’t a bear at all, but shares more similarities with creatures such as badgers, skunks, and raccoons.
Tragically, the red panda’s existence is under threat due to illegal hunting and the destruction of its natural habitat. The wildest optimistic assessments indicate that their population in the wild might be approximately 20,000.
Let’s delve into this intriguing creature…
Key Facts about the Red Panda
- Other names: Lesser panda, red bear-cat, red cat-bear
- Scientific denomination: Ailurus fulgens
- Classification: Mammal
- Family: Ailuridae
- Distribution: Eastern Himalayas and southwestern China
- Size (head to body): 50 to 64 cm (20 to 25 in)
- Tail length: 28 to 59 cm (11 to 23 in)
- Weight: 3 to 6.2 kg (6.6 to 13.7 lb)
- Conservation status: Endangered
An Introduction to the Red Panda
Before we proceed, why not take a look at the stunning footage of the red panda in its natural environment, or continue reading for a comprehensive examination of this species…
Contrary to its name, the red panda isn’t a part of the bear family, nor is it closely related to the giant panda. It is, in fact, the sole living member of the Ailuridae family. This family belongs to the Musteloidea superfamily, which also includes families of weasels, raccoons, and skunks.
Physical Characteristics of the Red Panda
The red panda resembles a miniaturized bear, with a sturdy, long body. However, unlike a bear, it possesses a long, fluffy tail. Its coat is thick and boasts a reddish-brown coloration, with black undersides and legs. The tail features lighter-colored rings.
The thick, bushy coat of the red panda provides insulation from the chilly mountainous climate. Its round head, flat face, and pointed, cream-colored ears further enhance its charm. Most red pandas have predominantly white faces, accented with reddish-brown tear-shaped markings beneath the eyes, much like a raccoon. These facial markings can vary between individuals.
Size-wise, the red panda is marginally larger than a typical housecat. Males outsize females slightly and can weigh up to 6.2 kg (13.7 lb). The two subspecies share a similar appearance, although Styan’s red panda may be slightly larger and possess a darker coat. However, there is a degree of variation even among members of the same subspecies.
Despite its lack of relation to the giant panda, the red panda does share a fondness for bamboo. Similar to its larger counterpart, the red panda has a ‘pseudo thumb,’ an extension of the wrist bone that acts like a thumb. But unlike the giant panda’s adaptation for holding bamboo, the red panda’s pseudo thumb is believed to aid in tree climbing.
Red Panda Habitat
The red panda resides in the temperate forests of the Himalayas, including countries such as Nepal, China, Myanmar, India, and Bhutan.
The Brahmaputra River is often perceived as a natural divide between the habitats of the Western red panda and Styan’s red panda subspecies.
You can pinpoint the distribution of the red panda on the map below:
The red panda calls the Himalayas – a mountain range in Asia, positioned between the Indian Subcontinent and the Tibetan Plateau, and home to Mount Everest, the highest mountain above sea level on Earth – its home.
Red Panda Habitat Specifics
The red panda makes its home in temperate (non-tropical) forests. It typically resides in both deciduous and coniferous forests at elevations ranging from 2,500 to 4,800 m (7,200 to 15,700 ft.). The species seems to favor habitats with features such as gentle north-facing slopes, proximity to water, and a dense understory of bamboo and old trees.
Behavior Patterns of the Red Panda
The red panda is a solitary, territorial creature, mainly active during late evenings and nights. During the day, it usually rests in trees or within tree hollows. Its sleeping position varies depending on the weather: it stretches out on a branch with legs dangling during warm weather, while in cold weather, it curls up and covers its face with its furry tail.
Communication Techniques of the Red Panda
While the red panda isn’t especially vocal, it does make some chirping and whistling sounds. It primarily communicates using body language, employing movements such as shaking its head from side to side, slowly moving the head up and down, arching the tail and back, and standing on its hind legs with forelimbs raised. The red panda also uses urine and a secretion from its anal glands for territory marking.
Movement Patterns of the Red Panda
Being an arboreal (tree-dwelling) species, the red panda is a skilled climber. It uses its tail for balance while in trees and can descend a tree head-first by rotating its ankles. When on ground level, the panda walks with its feet flat against the ground and the tail held horizontally. It exhibits a slight waddle due to its front legs being shorter than its hind legs.
Family Life of the Red Panda
The red panda’s mating season occurs between mid-January and early March. During this period, scent marking intensifies, and both sexes may mate with multiple partners. The gestation period lasts between 112 and 158 days. In summer, typically between June and July, the female builds a nest inside a hollow tree or a rock crevice using leaves, grass, and other vegetation. She gives birth to a litter of 1 to 4 young ones, which weigh around 110 to 130 g (3.9 to 4.6 oz.).
The young ones develop their adult coloration at around 3 months of age, a time when they also start to venture outside the nest and begin consuming solid food. They are weaned around 8 months, but continue to stay with their mother until the next litter is born.
Red Panda Diet
Despite its lineage tracing back to carnivorous ancestors, the red panda is primarily herbivorous. Bamboo constitutes about 80% of the red panda’s diet. As the red panda is unable to digest cellulose – a tough plant material, it must consume large amounts of bamboo every day. It favors the plant’s tender parts, such as the shoots and young leaves.
In addition to bamboo, the red panda’s diet includes fruits, berries, roots, succulent grasses, mushrooms, flowers, lichens, and acorns. Occasionally, it may also consume fish, insects, birds, and bird eggs.
Predators of the Red Panda
When threatened, the red panda’s instinct is usually to seek refuge by ascending a tree. However, if cornered, it can take a defensive stance on its hind legs to appear larger than its actual size. It will protect itself by striking out with its sharp claws.
Is The Red Panda Under Threat?
Regrettably, the red panda is categorized as ‘Endangered’ according to the IUCN.
In just three generations, the red panda’s population has seen a steep decline, estimated at about 50%. The primary threats faced by the red panda are primarily due to the increasing human population in the Himalayas, which includes:
- Habitat destruction: Red panda habitats have been significantly disrupted and fragmented due to commercial logging, farming, and infrastructural development. Such fragmentation poses difficulties for pandas to migrate to new feeding grounds, especially during the bamboo’s mass flowering and die-off cycles, which occur over large areas.
- Poaching: Red pandas are illegally hunted for their meat, fur, and other body parts. The animals are also caught for the pet industry, and in some cases, pandas are unintentionally trapped in snares set for other wildlife.
- Domestic cattle: In certain regions, bamboo is collected by cattle herders for fodder, which is also trampled by cattle. The guard dogs for these herds may also transmit canine distemper, a viral disease that proves fatal to the red panda.
In light of these threats, the survival of the red panda in the wild requires urgent and effective conservation efforts.