Animals
Class: Mammal
Biome:
Conservation Status: Endangered
About this animal
The Red Panda is native to the Himalayas in Bhutan, southern China, Pakistan, India, Laos, Nepal, and Burma. The Red Panda, also called the Firefox or Lesser Panda (Latin name: Ailurus fulgens, "shining cat"), is a mostly herbivorous mammal, favouring bamboo as its main food choice. . It has strong jaw muscles to help it chew bamboo. The Red Panda is quite long: 79-120 cm, or 31 to 47 in (including the tail length of 30 to 60 cm/12 to 24 in). Males weigh 4.5 to 6.2 kg (10 to 14 lb); females 3 to 4.5 kg (6 to 10 lb). Red Pandas are crepuscular (most active at dawn and dusk) and live in the slopes of the south of the Himalayas and the mountainous forests southwest of China, at altitudes of up to 4,800 meters, and generally do not venture below 1,800 meters. It has a dense fur coat which helps it to survive the cold winter months of its high altitude habitat. Red Pandas are very skillful and acrobatic animals that live predominantly in trees. They live in territories, frequently alone, and only rarely live in pairs or in groups of families. After a gestation period of 112 to 158 days the female gives birth to one to four blind cubs weighing 110-130 g. This occurs between the end of May to the beginning of July. A few days prior to the birth of her offspring, the female begins to collect nesting materials such as brushwood and grass. The nest is normally located in a hollow tree or a rock column. It’s thought that fewer than 2,500 mature individuals remain in their native homerange. Their population continues to decline due to habitat fragmentation.
Did you know?
The Red Panda is a relative of the racoon.
