Red Pandas

The scientific name of a red panda is Ailurus Fulgens, and they are commonly found in the Eastern Himalayas in places like China, Nepal, and Bhutan. They are part of the mammal's group, and live perched on trees. Red pandas are vegetarian and feed themselves on leaves and bamboo, but occasionally they snack on insects, fruit, bird eggs, and small lizards. They live up to an average of 8 years in the wild, and weigh from 5 to 9 kilograms. However, red pandas are endangered animals, and their population is decreasing because of habitat loss and human interference. Over the past two decades, researchers believe that the population of red pandas have reduced by 40%. Red pandas are illegally hunted for their skins to make capes and hats. The red panda got its name as it is a dwarf species of the black-and-white giant panda. Red pandas grow to about the size of a house cat; however, their long bushy tails make them look even bigger. Their tails serve as blankets when going to colder regions such and chilly mountain heights.

The red panda shares the same habitat as the giant panda. They live in high altitude forest habitat in the mountains of Nepal and northern Myanmar in Burma, they can also be seen in central China. They usually live-in trees and sleep aloft (above you). They usually go out and forage at night, as well as dusk and dawn. Red pandas have a good taste for bamboo but unlike other types of pandas, they also eat a variety of other foods. Some of those are fruits, acorns, roots, and eggs. Like giant pandas they have an extended wrist bone which is and functions almost like a thumbs, which helps a lot in the grip process.

Red pandas usually give birth in the spring and summer, and can have up to 4 babies. Young red pandas stay with their mothers for around 90 days before wandering off on their own and taking their own paths. Males usually barely take any interest in their offspring.

Interesting Fact: The English word for red panda is “Firefox”, which is where the popular web browser gets its name. Many people think that the Firefox logo is a fox, but the truth is that the logo is a red panda.