It’s a raccoon, it’s a fox, it’s a red panda!

Red pandas (ailurus fulgens) are herbivorous mammals that inhabit parts of central and southern Asia. Often mistaken for a type of raccoon or fox, the red panda is actually a relative of the giant panda and is the only animal in the Ailuridae family. In the wild, red pandas can live to be 22 years old but on average only get to around 15-17 years of age. They grow to about 50 inches including the tail, and can weigh between 12 and 20 pounds. Red pandas live in high-altitude forests in Nepal, Myanmar/Burma, and parts of China.

Did you know that red pandas use their long, bushy tails as blankets in the cold mountains?

Red pandas sleep up in the trees and blend in well with red lichen and moss. They eat anything from bamboo to fruits and acorns. Although they don’t have thumbs, they are capable of actions which would require thumbs because they have an extended wrist bone.

Like the tigers in the previous post, red pandas are more solitary animals. Females have up to four children at a time which stay with them for around 90 days before going to live on their own. Despite this solidarity, they sometimes communicate with each other using squeals or huff-quacks (which seem to be unique sounds to the red panda).

Curious about what a huff-quack sounds like? (the noise comes around 0:27)

Red pandas are crepuscular animals which means that they are most active at dawn or dusk. They are awake for about 45% of the day and prefer colder weather. However, when the weather gets very cold, red pandas can become dormant, only waking up every couple of hours to get food.

Small and cute animals, red pandas are very popular zoo attractions but they’re also on the endangered animal list, it’s possible that less than 2500 live in the wild. Like many other endangered animals, habitat loss and poaching are the biggest factors for the decline in population. Although the animals are protected by law in several countries, including China and Myanmar, their population has dropped by 50% in two decades. Compared to other endangered animals, red pandas are receiving less attention from governments but zoos are trying to get them to re-produce in captivity in an effort to keep the species from going extinct all-together. One of the reasons it is very difficult to help preserve red panda populations is because their habitat is so unique and hard to re-create. The Smithsonian Institute has a leading effort to conserve red panda populations. One of the things that they do is preserve red panda sperm and egg DNA to use later, especially when it comes to reintroducing them into the wild. The Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington D.C. currently has two red pandas, Tusa and Asa (male and female). They were brought to the zoo in 2015 and although living in captivity isn’t the best thing for animals, it is often the safest place for those that are rapidly losing their habitat and can’t protect themselves.

Like with the tigers at the WWF, the Smithsonian Institution gives people the option to adopt a red panda. The money goes to supporting the institute and helping them research and conserve red pandas.

“Red Panda.” National Geographic, www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/r/red-panda/.

“Red Panda.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/animal/red-panda.

“Red Panda.” Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Smithsonian,nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/red-panda.