Order: Carnivora
Family: Ailuridae
Genus and Species: Ailurus fulgens
Distribution and Habitat: Red pandas live in the cool temperate bamboo forests in Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces in China, in the Himalayas, and in Myanmar. They share part of their range with giant pandas.
Diet: Red pandas primarily eat bamboo leaves as well as berries, blossoms, bird eggs, and various plants' small leaves. Their broad teeth and strong jaws allow them to chew bamboo's tough leaves and stalks. They also have a small, bony projection on their wrists that helps them grip bamboo stalks. Giant pandas also have this thumb-like adaptation.
Reproduction: After a gestation of about 134 days, litters of one to four young are born. Young stay in the nest for about 90 days, remain close to their mother until the next mating season begins, and reach adult size at about 12 months. Adult red pandas lead solitary lives.
Conservation: Red pandas are endangered because of habitat loss. There are fewer than 2,500 adult red pandas.
Red Panda—Lesser Only in Size
Is it really a panda?
The red, or lesser, panda is much smaller than the better-known giant panda. It also doesn't even look like a smaller version of the more famous black-and-white bamboo bear. The red panda actually resembles a raccoon in both size and appearance.
It weighs between seven and 14 pounds and is about 42 inches long including its tail. It has a bear-like body covered with thick red fur. It has a black belly and legs with some white markings on the face. Its tail is long and bushy with light brown rings. Small eyes, a pointed snout, pointed ears, whiskers, and partially retractable claws complete its look.
The first known written record of the red panda occurs in a 13th-century Chou dynasty scroll, but it wasn't until some six centuries later that this species became known to Europeans. Thomas Hardwicke, a British officer in India and natural history buff, called the animal "Wha" because: "It is frequently discovered by its loud cry or call, resembling the word Wha,' often repeating the same..." He also mentioned several other local names, including "poonya," which was eventually anglicized to "panda." For almost five decades the species was known as panda.
Then, in 1869, a large black-and-white bear-like animal with teeth and diet remarkably similar to those of the Wha was discovered in China. This animal was dubbed "giant panda, and the smaller red animal became the "lesser" panda, a pejorative that has now been all but dropped in favor of the more dignified red panda.
In retrospect, the application of the same name to both species was based on superficial anatomical similarities and only fueled a controversy about how closely related these two species really are. In fact, while giant pandas are now firmly classified as bears, the red pandas' relationship to other carnivores is still uncertain.
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Red pandas have unique red coats that are especially vibrant in winter time. As their coats redden and thicken, they become easily visible on even the coldest January day. |
Where do they live and what do they eat?
Red pandas live only in cool temperate forests in the Himalayan foothills from western Nepal through northern Burma and in the mountains of southwestern China (Sichuan, Yunnan, and Xizang provinces) at altitudes between 4,900 and 13,000 feet. They are good climbers and spend much of their time during the day in trees, coming out at dusk to forage.
Red pandas eat mostly bamboo but will also eat fruit, nuts, and lichens. They are picky eaters in that they carefully choose only tender young bamboo leaves, in contrast to the giant panda that shares similar habitat and eats every part of the bamboo plant. Red pandas occasionally consume insects, eggs, young birds, and small rodents. As adults, red pandas lead solitary lives and can live up to 14 years in zoos, but probably a lot fewer in the wild.
Why are red pandas endangered?
While estimates of red panda numbers vary widely, there may be fewer than 2,500 adult red pandas alive today. Some scientists fear that the red panda is even more endangered than the giant panda in China. Red pandas are prey to hunters who sell their rich, soft pelts. The fur is used to make hats and clothing by some of local peoples. Snow leopards are the main natural predator of adults.
In recent years the red panda's habitat has been disturbed profoundly by increasing human populations. People log the forests for building materials and fuel, and their domestic animals consume understory plants and compact fragile montane soils. Even minor disturbance in this fragile habitat, such as clearing small patches for agriculture, can initiate a devastating chain reaction of erosion and soil damage. Little of the red panda's currently remaining habitat—even that in national parks and wildlife reserves—is spared this degradation.
People living close to parks and reserves often strip and cut trees for building materials, forage for livestock, and fuel for cooking and tourism. Not only do these activities eliminate food, shelter, and nesting areas for red pandas and other wildlife, but hunting and depredations by feral dogs also take a considerable toll.
In addition, biology does not work in the red panda's favor. Litters are small, averaging only two young after a gestation period of 135 days. The cubs grow slowly and stay with the mothers for more than a year after birth.
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| Habitat protection is key to this species' survival. |
What's being done to help?
Virtually all North American zoos with red pandas participate in a management program designed to ensure that a viable zoo population survives for the foreseeable future. Red pandas have been bred with some reliability in zoos around the world.
In 1992 there were about 85 zoos that held more than 300 red pandas. More than 300 were born in zoos from 1972 to 1992, many at the National Zoo. While red pandas are now protected in Nepal and China, more field studies are needed to determine how well giant panda nature reserves protect the red panda.
New technological approaches need to be developed to understand the red panda's basic reproductive biology. Studying hormones, as well as sperm and its ability to be frozen and later used for artificial insemination, will help maintain the species. The National Zoo is at the forefront of efforts to develop these new technologies. The Zoo's long-term goal is to develop the capability to establish a genome resource bank for the red panda. Once sperm (and eventually embryos) are collected and frozen, the genes of those individuals are preserved forever and can be reintroduced back into the wild in the future. In addition, the Zoo plans to support field studies of the red panda in China, particularly in some of the more remote reserves. The Zoo will also export its considerable management and nutritional expertise with the species to Chinese zoos and breeding colonies.
Several successful initiatives are underway in China to conserve giant panda habitat. These will also benefit the red panda.
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| Visitors can see this amazing animal in its arboreal Asia Trail habitat. |
Red Pandas at the National Zoo
Two red pandas live near the giant pandas on Asia Trail, giving visitors an opportunity to compare the original "panda" with giant pandas.
Visitors can get an up-close look at the elusive red pandas in their favorite place—the treetops. People can view them from behind a wildlife blind, which simulates the types of blinds scientists use to study animals in the wild. As visitors wind their way through the outdoor giant panda exhibit, they will get a second, ground-level look at the red panda. Here, the exhibit focuses their attention on the often asked questions: are they pandas or not, and, if not, how do they differ? 
How Can You Help?
For too long the red panda has existed in the shadow of the giant panda. But this engaging animal is among the most popular of the Zoo's residents. Much needs to be done to ensure this species the recognition it deserves and a future in the wild. The Zoo's scientists are doing their part to improve its chances of survival. You can adopt a red panda and join this effort in support of its conservation. Your Adopt contribution will assist with exhibit improvement, medical care, and food not only for this rare and beautiful animal at the Zoo but also for the 2,000 other animals that reside at the National Zoo and its Conservation and Research Center at Front Royal, Virginia.
Researchers are also hoping to learn all they can about panda dispersal (when the young move long distances and set up a new home area elsewhere). Dispersal strategies affect the genetics of populations and determine whether reserve size and shape are sufficient to accommodate normal dispersal. Researchers are working to measure the distances that dispersing pandas move and why they decide to settle at some sites and not others. They are also working to determine which habitats wild pandas are willing to traverse in order to disperse. Answers to these questions are instrumental for determining the degree of gene flow through a network of isolated reserves, whether or not pandas will use habitat corridors, and what cues must to be present (or placed by managers) to encourage settlement in suitable habitat.
