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- Order: Carnivora
- Family: Ailuridae
- Genus: Ailurus
- Habitat: High altitude forested areas in China, India, Nepal, Laos and the Himalayas.
- Diet: Mostly bamboo leaves, but also birds' eggs, acorns, fruit, lichens and other small leaves
- Size: 31-47 inches from head to tip of tail
- Weight: 7-14 lbs
- Conservation status: Endangered
- Predators: Humans, snow leopards, martens
- Gestation: Approximately 135 days
- Litter size: 1-4 young
- Lifespan: Usually about 9 or 10 years, but can live as long as 15 years.
- Most active from dusk until dawn
- Usually live alone rather than in groups
- Less than 2,500 red pandas are left in the world
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Gentle, friendly, and shy, the red panda looks like a cross between a small bear and a raccoon, although it isn't actually either. Red pandas belong to their own family called Ailuridae. They live in the cool high altitude regions of southeastern Asia and survive on a main course of bamboo leaves with an occasional flower, berry or acorn on the side.
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Threats to Survival
The red panda is an endangered species, with less than 2,500 adults still alive in zoos and in the wild. Their numbers in China have decreased 40% just over the last 50 years. The primary threat to their survival is habitat destruction. Population growth has led to much of the forested areas in southeast asia being cut down for timber or used for livestock grazing. Poachers also hunt red pandas for their bushy tails and soft fur. -
Conservation Efforts
Laws have been enacted to protect red pandas, but efforts to enforce the laws haven't been stringent enough to stop hunting. Many zoos have taken part in conservation programs to breed red pandas in captivity, although these efforts have made only a small difference due to the red panda's low birth rate. Organizations such as the Red Panda Network and the WWF are working with local communities to create innovative solutions and to help growth and development in these areas become more sustainable. Most of the organizations and zoos working to save red pandas have 'adopt a panda' programs to help support their work. -
Fun Facts
- Also known as: lesser panda, firefox, fire cat, shining cat, red cat bear, wha, bright panda
- Related to the raccoon
- Discovered almost 50 years before black and white pandas
- Sleep in trees
- Can eat 200,000 bamboo leaves a day.
- Communicate with squeaks and whistles
- Spit like a cat when threatened
- Claws are partly retractable
- Wraps its tail around its head for warmth
- Even their paw pads are covered in fur
- Can jump as far as five feet to get from one tree branch to the next
- Have to carefully conserve energy expenditure due to their low calorie diet
- Females are only in heat for one day each year
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Red Panda Questions
Can Red Pandas be kept as pets? 7 Answershttp://farm1.static.flickr.com/117/255484618_a6a3008be7.jpg Red Pandas, also called the Firefox or Lesser Panda, CANNOT be kept as pets. Not only is the Red Pan... read more
What is the Red Pyramid? 2 AnswersThe Red Pyramid, also called the North Pyramid is the largest of the three major pyramids located at the Dahshur necropolis. Named for the light crimson hue of ... read more
Watching Planet Earth on Animal Planet. Did you know there is a Red Panda? 1 AnswerYes. It is just smaller and brown. read more
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On Twitter Powered by Twitter
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@rapozaveloz voce sabia que a sua imagem é de um panda e nao de uma rapoza? é um red panda http://bit.ly/8Gpk3S
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Must try to lose eyelid eczema by tomorrow. Off to the BBC and can't look like a red panda(red pandas r nice and use their tails as pillows)
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Woot woke up to a sale this morning =D My red panda pin http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=35186215 hardest to make... >_<
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Hahaha RT @ITS_NEMESIS: goodnight my lil exotic red panda of the suburban jungle.
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Omw to panda express and red brick pizza, I'm excited.
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