Red Panda

Red Panda

The Red Panda is also called the lesser panda or red bear-cat or red cat-bear.  It lives in China and the Himalayan Mountains.  It is somewhat related to raccoons, weasels, and skunks.  .  . BUT it is in it's own classification family.  Red pandas eat mostly bamboo but they are know to also eat  eggs, birds, and insects.  Red Pandas are nocturnal.  .  .   . or active at night from dusk to dawn.  Dusk means the time when it starts to get dark after sunset.  Dawn is when it starts to get light before sunrise.

Red Pandas live solitary lives.  During the day they pretty much sleep.  They are listed as an endangered species with around only 10,000 adults in the wild.  Their habitat keeps getting destroyed by Man.  Red Pandas are NOT closely related to the Giant Panda.

Red Pandas are up to 25 inches long, unless you count the long fluffy tail and then it is around 48 inches or 4 feet long.  That would be 1.2 meters long counting the tail.  They have long, soft reddish brown fur on top and a much darker red blending to black on the lower portions of their bodies.  This patterning varies on each individual with some having more black and others more reddish brown.  Their long tail has several rings alternating between reddish and off white.  Like most animals, each individual has their own unique traits.  This is called "variation in the species."

Red Pandas have curved claws and a false thumb for climbing trees and more especially bamboo.  Their paws have thick fur for insulation when walking on ice and snow during the winter.  Their fur is quite thick and provides excellent insulation from the bitter cold of the Himalayan Mountain winters.