Red panda

Red panda, (Ailurus fulgens), reddish brown, long-tailed, raccoonlike mammal, about the size of a large domestic cat, that is found in the mountain forests of the Himalayas and adjacent areas of eastern Asia and subsists mainly on bamboo and other vegetation, fruits, and insects. Once classified as a relative of the giant panda, it is now usually classified as the sole member of the family Ailuridae.

The red panda is native to high-elevation temperate forests between about 2,500 and 4,800 meters (about 8,200 and 15,750 feet) in the central and eastern Himalayas and in some mountainous regions within the Plateau of Tibet and central China. Red pandas are made up of two subspecies: the Himalayan red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens)—which resides in the mountains of northern India, the Plateau of Tibet, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Nepal—and the Chinese red panda (A. fulgens styani), which lives in China’s Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. Although these mammals are classified traditionally within a single species, some scientists claim that DNA and morphological differences between the two are striking enough to reclassify them as two distinct species called A. fulgens and A. styani. Still, red panda taxonomy remains a matter of ongoing debate.

Natural history

The red panda has soft, thick fur—rich reddish brown above and black underneath. The face is white, with a stripe of red-brown from each eye to the corners of the mouth, and the bushy tail is faintly ringed. The head and body length of the red panda is 50–65 cm (20–26 inches) and the tail 30–50 cm (12–20 inches) long, and the weight ranges from 3 to 6.2 kg (6.5 to 14 pounds). The feet have hairy soles, and the claws are semi-retractile. Male and female red pandas do not differ from one another in size and coloration (see also sexual dimorphism).

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The red panda lives high in the mountains among woodlands made up of coniferous and deciduous trees and bamboo. It is an arboreal mammal that climbs with agility (though its tail is not prehensile). It tends to do most of its feeding on the ground, where the bamboo shoots and leaves that it consumes are located. It also eats bird eggs, berries, and other plant material. It is nocturnal and crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) and prefers to rest on tree branches during the daylight hours.

Snow leopards and herding dogs are the species’ primary predators, with poachers and game hunters becoming a rising source of mortality. Red panda cubs are sometimes taken by birds of prey and jackals.

In the wild, red pandas live alone outside of the breeding season; however, some may live in pairs or in family groups. In captivity, mates may live together throughout the year. The animal’s breeding season is triggered by increasing daylight that follows the winter solstice. Males mark the ground with their urine and leave their scent on trees to attract females. Members of both sexes may mate with multiple partners during this period. Litters generally contain one or two young that are born in spring after a gestation period that can range from 93 to 156 days. In the days leading up to birth, females may build a nest in a rock crevice or tree hollow. Young reach adult size by 12 months of age, becoming sexually mature 6 months later. Red pandas can live up to 14 years in the wild, but few live beyond 10 years. The animal’s life span in captivity ranges between 10 and 15 years.

Conservation status

Between 2008 and 2015 the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) classified the red panda as a vulnerable species. Since the IUCN’s 2015 assessment, the organization has listed it as an endangered species. The species remains threatened by a number of stressors, the most prominent being habitat loss and habitat fragmentation stemming from the expansion of logging, human settlement, and road building—the latter of which facilitates the movement of cattle herds (and predatory herding dogs) and game hunters, who hunt red pandas for their meat and skins. The effects of climate change, including an increased frequency of landslides and flash floods, and the spread of invasive plants have also contributed to declines in red panda habitat (see also invasive species). In addition, wildlife managers note that red panda smuggling has increased during the 21st century to capitalize on the animal’s popularity as a zoo animal and as a pet.

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