Red Panda

A red panda is the size of a pet cat.

They have red fur and a long thick tail.

They eat mostly bamboo.

They spend most of their time in trees.

They live in mountain forests.

A close relative of the giant panda, the red panda is now classified in its own family. Like bears, they have an extension of their wrist bone that is similar to a thumb, but unlike bears, they can only partly pull in their claws. The red panda has a number of names, including fire fox and lesser panda. The word 'panda' is thought to come from the Nepalese word 'ponya'. It is also known as cat bear because it was thought to be a bear, and it washes its entire body like a cat does.

Appearance
Red pandas are 79 -120 cm long, including the 30 - 60 cm long tail, and they weigh 4-6 kg. The tail has six alternating reddish and yellowish bands. The thick tail helps them balance in the trees, and they cover their faces with their tails in winter when they sleep. The body fur is long and reddish in colour, black on the under side. Faces are distinctly marked, with black nose and pointed ears. The colourings ensure excellent camouflage against the white lichen and red moss that cover the trees in which they live. Red pandas have thick fur on the soles of their feet, covering scent glands and providing warmth in the snow and ice.

Habitat
They are found in high mountain bamboo forests in southern Asia - in parts of China (Sichuan and Yunnan), Bhutan, Nepal and the Himalayas, and Myanmar (Burma).

Behaviour
Red pandas live on their own, except for females with young. They move slowly when on the ground, but in the trees they are very agile. They are crepuscular, which means they are active at dawn and dusk, resting for the rest of the day in tree branches and hollows. They are fairly silent animals, except for some calls that sound like whistling or twittering. Red pandas wash themselves rather like cats, by licking their front paws and cleaning all their fur.

Feeding
Red pandas eat mostly bamboo, but they do also eat acorns, berries, blossoms, lichens and sometimes eggs. They have a small bone that acts like a thumb, helping them grip the bamboo stalks as they eat. Because bamboo does not provide a great deal of nutrition, red pandas spend a great deal of time sleeping in order to conserve energy.

Life Cycle
Cubs are born in summer. About 130 days after mating with a male, a female red panda gives birth to between 1-4 young ones. Before they are born the female makes a nest in a hollow tree or rock and lines it with plants. The young stay in the nest for about 90 days, then stay with their mother until the next cubs are born in the summer, when they leave. They are fully grown at 12 months.

Status and Threats
Red pandas are classified as Endangered. They are protected in Nepal and China. The main reason for the decline in their numbers is loss of habitat. There are probably only about 2500 adult red pandas left in the wild. Main threats are from snow leopards, martens and humans. Red pandas live for about 8-10 years, but can live for 15.

If you use any part of this in your own work, acknowledge this source in your bibliography like this:
Sydenham, S. & Thomas, R. Red Panda [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au (2009)

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Updated June 2009 ©kidcyber