International Red Panda Day 2020
The red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is a small mammal species. They are part of their own distinct and unique family ~ the Ailuridae.
They are reddish-brown with a predominantly white face, with tear marks extending from their inner eyes to the corners of their mouth, large round heads, short snouts, and large pointed ears with long fluffy striped red and whitetails. Their front legs are shorter than their back legs, giving them their characteristic waddling gait. They also possess very sharp semi-retractile claws, allowing them to climb vertically up and down trees and as a fierce defence.
The red panda has been classified as a distant relation of the giant panda and the raccoon, with which it shares the same long, bushy, ringed tail.
Red pandas are also known as lesser, true, common, cat-bear, bearcat, Himalayan raccoon, fox bear, and firefox. Initially, it was considered a relative of the raccoon due to their similarities (head, teeth, and ringed tail). Later, it was thought they belonged to the bear family. However, recent genetic research has reclassified them in their family, Ailuridae, and they have no relatives.
A French zoologist, Frédéric Cuvier, first described the red panda in 1825, about 48 years before the giant panda was discovered. It was the most beautiful animal he had ever seen, and he named it Ailurus fulgens, which means ‘fire-coloured’.
Size
- Height: 63 cm tall
- Weight: 35 – 48 cm in length from head to tip their tail
- Lifespan in the wild is around 8 – 10 years, and 15 years in captivity.
Habitat
Red pandas are endemic to the temperate forests of the Himalayas at elevations of 2200 – 4800 m. Their habitat is in the high-altitude tropical rainforests in Nepal, central China, and northern Myanmar. They spend most of their life in trees, eating and sleeping. They wrap their thick, fluffy tail around themselves during the colder weather for warmth.
Diet
Their staple diet is green leafy bamboo, but they will also eat other plants, roots, fruits, and eggs from other animals and birds. A single red panda can eat up to 2 kg of bamboo daily. They are most active at dawn and dusk and spend much of their day sleeping. They are nocturnal hunters.
Reproduction
Red pandas will begin producing cubs around 18 months of age. They will give birth annually in the spring and summer after a gestation of approximately 115 – 145 days. Females can give birth to up to 4 cubs but often only have twins. The cub’s eyes and ears remain closed for two to three weeks. The cubs remain in their den with their mother, who will nurse them for around 22 weeks. Red pandas reach maturity around 18 – 20 months.
Conservation status
Endangered ~ numbers are decreasing. On current estimation, there are only 10,000 left in the wild.
Threats
- Primarily humans.
- Poaching – for pets in China and Myanmar.
- Illegal wildlife trade -body parts for making fur caps and hats.
- Hunting – getting caught in traps meant for other animals, such as wild pigs and deer.
- Habitat loss – due to deforestation and clearing of bamboo trees for tourism, agriculture, increasing population, mining, logging, and introducing non-native species.
- Fragmented habitats – due to building roads and railroads through their habitats.
- The natural predator is the snow leopard (Panthera uncia). If threatened, the red panda will flee by climbing rocks or trees. Once cornered, they will rear up on their hind legs to make themselves appear larger and use their sharp claws on their front paws to defend themselves.
Resources
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