Red Panda – Unusual but Cute

The Red Panda is a small arboreal mammal and the only species of the genus Ailurus. Slightly larger than a domestic cat, it has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs. It eats mainly bamboo, but is omnivorous and may also eat eggs, birds, insects, and small mammals. It is a solitary animal, mainly active from dusk to dawn, and is largely sedentary during the day.

Endemic to the temperate forests of the Himalayas, the Red Panda ranges from Nepal in the west to China in the east. It is also found in northern India, Bhutan and northern Myanmar. Accurate population figures in the wild are difficult to find, with estimates ranging from 11,000 to 20,000 worldwide. Although it is protected by law in all countries where it lives, its numbers in the wild continue to decline mainly due to habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and inbreeding depression.

The Red Panda is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN red list (2009.01), and is listed in CITES appendix I. It has been previously classified in the families Procyonidae (raccoon) and Ursidae (bears), but recent research has placed it in its own family Ailuridae, in superfamily Musteloidea along with Mustelidae, Procyonidae, and Mephitidae. Two subspecies are recognized.The Red Panda is quite adaptable to living in captivity and is common in zoos worldwide. As of 2006 the international studbook listed more than 800 individuals in zoos and parks around the world.

The head and body of the Red Panda is 56 to 63 cm (22 to 25 in) long, and their tail is 37 to 47 cm (15 to 19 in) long. Males weigh 3.7 to 6.2 kg (8 to 14 lb) and females weigh 4.2 to 6.0 kg (9 to 13 lb).  It has long, soft reddish-brown fur on its upper parts, blackish fur on its lower parts, and a light face with tear markings and robust cranial-dental features. The light face has white badges similar to those of a raccoon, but each individual can have distinctive markings. Its roundish head has medium-sized upright ears, a black nose, and very dark eyes: almost pitch black. Its long bushy tail with six alternating yellowish red transverse ochre rings provides balance and excellent camouflage against its habitat of moss- and lichen-covered trees. The legs are black and short with thick fur on the soles of the paws. This fur serves as thermal insulation on snow-covered or ice surfaces and conceals scent glands which are also present on the anu*.

The Red Panda is specialized as a bamboo feeder with strong, curved and sharp semi-retractile claws standing inward for grasping of narrow tree branches, leaves and fruit. Like the Giant Panda, it has a “false thumb” that is an extension of the wrist bone.

The Red Panda has been reported to be both nocturnal (most active at night) and crepuscular (most active at dawn and dusk),  sleeping on tree branches or in tree hollows during the day and increasing its activity only in the late afternoon and early evening hours. It sleeps stretched out on a branch with legs dangling when it is hot, and curled up with its tail over its face when it is cold.  It is very heat sensitive, with an optimal “well-being” temperature between 17 and 25 °C (63 and 77 °F), and cannot tolerate temperatures over 25 °C (77 °F).

Shortly after waking, the Red Panda cleans its fur like a cat, licking its front paws and then rubbing its back, stomach and sides. It also rubs its back and belly along the sides of trees or rocks. Then it patrols its territory, marking it with a weak musk-smelling secetion from its ana* gland and with its urine. It searches for food at night, running along the ground or through the trees. It uses its front paws to place the food into its mouth, and drinks by plunging a paw into the water and then licking the paw.

There are two extant subspecies of Red Panda. The Western Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens F. G. Cuvier, 1825) lives in the western part of its range (Nepal, Assam, Sikkim and Bhutan), and the somewhat larger Styan’s Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens styani  Thomas, 1902]) lives in the east-northeastern part of its range (southern China and northern Myanmar).  The Styan’s Red Panda is supposedly larger and darker in color than its Western cousin, though there is considerable variation in both subspecies, and some individuals may be brown or yellowish brown rather than red.

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What Mum Didn't Tell You About Pandas

There are about 1000 Pandas left in the world today. About 80 percent of these live in Sichuan province in China.

Pandas are very cute, they move slow and they like to eat, sleep, play in water and actually take showers when there is water flowing. They also like climbing trees and the main food is Bamboo.

A normal Panda will eat about 10 to 13 Kilograms of food per day if eating only Bamboo leaves. If a Panda decide on eating a thin Bamboo stick called Jian Bamboo for its daily choice of food, the Panda will eat up to 3000 sticks. However if the Panda is in a really good and hungry mood and want to for the Bamboo shoots, then they eat up to 40 Kilograms in one day. The Average Panda spends about 12 hours per day, looking for food.

80 percent of the food they eat is not properly digested by them so they "go to the Panda bathroom many times per day" There is very little water in the bamboo so Pandas drink a lot.

Pandas have big problems today. It is getting more and more difficult for them to survive. Pandas like to settle and stay in one place, high mountain areas with lots of vegetation.

In the spring the Panda will move downwards to look for love, or a mate. A Panda will start this search when they are around 7 - 8 years old.

As in many other animal cultures, there are usually several male Pandas competing for the attention of one, single female Panda. The Panda lady. Who is going to end with the lady is decided by fighting amongst the male Pandas.

A very interesting part is that when the male Panda wins his bride, they will have sex, Panda sex I guess and then they do not stay together, it is sort-of a situation where they both go back to their own separate places to sleep.

A female Panda are usually pregnant for 3 to 5 months, then she will make a hole as a birthplace and put some leaves and things inside. They usually have just one baby, but if they have twins for example, one will eventually die, since the mother will care for only one of them.

The new-born Panda, can't walk, can't see or care for itself. For about 3 weeks or so they Panda needs to be held more or less all the time by the Mother.

A Panda will weigh around 30 Kilogram in 6 months, about 100 kilograms in a year and around 150 Kg after a year and a half. That's when the Panda leaves hit Mother and is on his own.

Pandas live in tree areas, their eyes are not so good, normally they only see about 3 meters. But the have great listening and very strong developed sense of smell.

For a wild Panda, the average lifetime is around 20 years.

The biggest fear a Panda will have is that the Bamboo will die. Wild Pandas decrease fast and to help the Panda left in the world today, anyone can make donations to for example Pandas International, where anyone can adopt a Panda. WWF also have focus on the Panda and donations are welcome

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Giant Panda

Rare Bears

The giant panda is a medium-sized black-and-white bear that lives only in the mountainous temperate forests of southwest China. Giant pandas eat a diet of bamboo. The giant panda is one of the most endangered animals on Earth. Only about 1,600 of these rare bears are left. This number includes more than 160 pandas living in zoos and breeding centers around the world, mostly in China.

Creatures of the Forest

Giant pandas live in a few isolated mountain ranges in the provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu in south-central China. They live in broadleaf and coniferous forests with a dense understory of bamboo, at elevations between 1500m  and  3000m. Torrential rains, dense mists, and heavy cloud cover characterize these forests throughout much of the year. The giant panda has lived in bamboo forests for several million years. It is a highly specialized animal, with unique adaptations.

Bamboo for Every Meal

Bamboo is the giant panda's favorite food. Adult giant pandas will spend 10 to 16 hours a day finding and eating bamboo. They eat different parts of the plant depending on the time of year. In the summer and autumn, pandas munch mostly on leaves. Winter means a diet of tough stems. Spring provides tender, young bamboo shoots. 

A giant panda’s digestive system is more similar to that of a carnivore than an herbivore. Because bamboo does not provide much nutrition, a panda needs to eat a large amount of food. It may eat up to 20kg of bamboo each day to get all the nutrients it needs.

Panda Parts

Giant pandas stand 1m tall at the shoulder (on all four legs) and are 1.5m long. Males are larger than females, weighing up to 115kg in the wild. Females rarely reach 100kg.

Giant pandas have a very specialized anatomy linking them to bamboo for survival. Their front paws are specially designed to allow them to hold bamboo stalks. Giant pandas appear to have thumbs. But these "thumbs" are really extensions of the wrist bone. To hold a piece of bamboo, a panda wraps its fingers around one side of the stalk. Then it holds it in place by pushing the wrist bone, or pseudo-thumb, forward.

Giving Birth in the Wild

Pink Pandas?Female giant pandas can become pregnant only once a year in the spring. Barking calls and scents draw males and females to each other. Females give birth between 95 and 160 days after mating. Females may give birth to two young pandas, but usually only one survives. 

The bodies of newborn giant panda cubs are completely pink with a sparse covering of white hair. Giant pandas are not giants when they are born. Their eyes are closed, like a kitten, and they weigh only 120-175gr. They are around 15cm long - about the size of a hotdog!

After one week, dark patches begin to appear near the eyes and ears. Then the skin on their legs and backs begins to darken. Soon, black hair will grow in these areas and white hair everywhere else. Baby pandas’ eyes open when they are about one month old. They begin to crawl when they are three to four months old.  

Mother Knows Best

Giant pandas are cubs until they are about two years old. Like all bears, they start to explore the world outside the den once they are strong enough to follow their mother’s lead. Giant panda mothers spend most of the time looking for bamboo shoots, stems, and tender leaves.

Young giant pandas use this time to learn about the forest and to climb trees. Cubs love to climb, and they quickly become very skilled. They have sharp, strong claws on both their front and back feet. Cubs may stay with their mothers for up to three years before striking out on their own.

Life Out in the Wild

An adult giant panda spends much of its day resting, seeking food, and eating. Unlike other bears from temperate climates, giant pandas do not hibernate Until recently, scientists thought giant pandas spent most of their lives alone. They believed that males and females met only during the breeding season.

Recent studies paint a different picture. Small groups of giant pandas share a large territory and sometimes meet outside the breeding season. Much remains to be learned about the secret lives of these animals. Every new discovery helps scientists in their battle to save this species.

Giving Birth in Captivity

Giant pandas are also born in captivity. Captive breeding centers were started because giant pandas are so endangered. The giant pandas’ naturally slow breeding rate prevents a population from recovering quickly from illegal hunting, habitat loss, and other human-related causes of death. The captive breeding centers provide a protected place for giant pandas to breed and for baby pandas to grow up. One of the most famous centers for breeding baby pandas is the Wolong Nature Reserve.

What to do with Twins

When pandas are born in captivity, they often have twins. Panda mothers will only care for one baby at a time. This means the keepers at the breeding center have to help care for the babies and keep them healthy. They feed the babies milk and keep them warm in incubators. The mother panda still gets to take care of both babies, but she cares for them one at a time.

Growing Up in Captivity

In captivity, young giant pandas remain together and have a chance to play. In the wild, it would be very rare for a young giant panda to meet another cub. This is because mother pandas live alone rather than in groups with other pandas. When panda cubs play, they appear to have lots of fun. But they are also learning important skills. For example, researchers hide snacks in hanging plastic tubes to teach the cubs how to search for food.

Branching Out From Bamboo

Giant pandas are now becoming easier to raise in captivity. This is because their keepers have discovered what foods to feed them. Cubs get a bowl of special milk for breakfast and lunch until they are about two years old. The milk is made by boiling rice and adding vitamins. Between the age of seven and nine months, panda cubs begin to snack on tender bamboo shoots. Other foods captive giant pandas eat include sugar cane, carrots, apples, and sweet potatoes. They also eat “panda bread” made from a mixture of ground bamboo, grains, and assorted vitamins and minerals.

Living Up to Their Name

Giant panda cubs grow quickly. Every few days, the staff at the breeding center must weigh them to check on their development. That includes lifting them onto a scale. This isn’t an easy job when the panda weighs almost as much as you do! No wonder they’re calledgiant pandas!

Pandas and People

In China, people and giant pandas have been living together for thousands of years. But China’s human population has been steadily growing. It is now the largest in the world. More people means more land is needed for farming. It also means more forests are cut for wood to build and heat houses. Loss of habitat in lowland areas has forced pandas to live only in the mountains.

Habitat Loss

The most damaging result of development has been that it has divided the panda’s habitat into little islands of forest. Today, many pandas are isolated in these small sections of forest, because they will cross into areas where humans live. The result is that the giant pandas cannot connect with one another to mate and have babies. 

Make Room for Pandas

People are trying to help the giant panda survive by creating protected areas and breeding centers. China has 37 official areas for protecting the giant panda. All of these areas are in mountainous southwestern China. The Wolong Nature Reserve is one of the most famous. 

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