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Red Panda

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The Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens Latin: "fire-colored cat") also known as the Lesser Panda, Wah, Bear Cat or Firefox, is a mostly herbivorous mammal, slightly larger than a domestic cat (60 cm long). The Red Panda has semi-retractile claws and, like the Giant panda, has a "false thumb" which is really an extension of the wrist bone. Thick fur on the soles of the feet offers protection from cold and hides scent glands. For many decades the taxonomic classification of the panda was under debate as both the red panda and the distantly related giant panda share characteristics of both bears and raccoons At first glance it may have a raccoon-like appearance.

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Classification and name

The Red Panda was formerly classified in the raccoon family (Procyonidae), but now many experts, including Wilson and Reeder (1993), classify it as either a member of the bear family (Ursidae) or in its own family (Ailuridae). The most recent DNA research places the Red Panda in a family within the superfamily Musteloidea (which also contains the mustelid, skunk and raccoon families). It is native to the Himalayas and southern China, as well as parts of India and Nepal. A handful of fossils have also been discovered in North America.

Its Western name is taken from a Himalayan language, possibly Nepali, but its meaning is uncertain. One theory is that "panda" is an anglicisation of "poonya", which means "eater of bamboo". The Red Panda is also known as the Wah because of its distinctive cry. This name was given to it by Thomas Hardwicke, when he introduced it to Europeans in 1821.

Diet

The Red Panda, despite having a digestive system more suited to a carnivorous diet, subsists primarily on bamboo. Like the Giant Panda, it cannot digest cellulose, so it must consume a large volume of bamboo to survive. Its diet also includes fruit, roots, acorns, and lichen, and Red Pandas are known to supplement their diet with young birds, eggs, small rodents, and insects on occasion. Captive Red Pandas readily eat meat. Red Pandas are excellent climbers and forage largely in trees. The Red Panda does little more than eat and sleep due to its low-calorie diet.

Ecology

A Red Panda at the Munich zoo.
Enlarge
A Red Panda at the Munich zoo.

Adults are largely solitary and nocturnal. Females give birth to litters of one to four young (most often two) between mid-May and mid-July. The young, born fully-furred, blind, and helpless, are weaned at five months of age. Sexual maturity occurs at age 18–20 months.

The species is endangered, largely because of habitat loss, though there is also some illegal hunting. Red Pandas are often killed for their coats to make fur hats and clothes. Because of the growing human population in China, Red Panda habitats are being cleared to build houses. Approximately 10,000 pandas die per year, and approximately 7,000 of the 10,000 die from deforestation. Red pandas do not have any natural defense against predators. For this reason, they may easily fall prey to larger animals.

There are two subspecies of Red Panda: Ailurus fulgens fulgens and Ailurus fulgens styani. A. f. fulgens is a little smaller and its facial fur is much lighter; its range covers Nepal, Myanmar, and China. A. f. styani has more pronounced facial markings; it is restricted to northern Myanmar and some areas of China.

In culture

A Red Panda at the Darjiling zoo.
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A Red Panda at the Darjiling zoo.

The Chinese name of the Red Panda is 小熊貓; (pinyin: xiǎo xióng māo), meaning 'small panda'. The Chinese name of the Red Panda is based on that of the Giant Panda, unlike English where the Giant Panda has been named after the Red Panda. The Red Panda is also sometimes known as hǔo hú (火狐), which literally translates as "fire fox", a name which can refer both to the red fox and the Red Panda. The Red Panda is the state animal of Sikkim. The term firefox, as used to describe the Red Panda, has been propagated by its use in the web browser Mozilla Firefox, although the browser logo depicts a fox with its tail on fire rather than a Red Panda.

In May 2005, the Red Panda gained a surge of popularity in Japan when a panda named Futa (風太) living in the Chiba Animal Park was found to be able to stand on his hind legs like a human for up to 30 seconds at a time. Not to be outdone, another zoo, the Yokohama Zoo Zoorasia in Yokohama recently found another "gifted" red panda within their confines, Dale (デール) who is capable of walking a considerable distance bipedal. While both of the standing pandas have gained the species many fans in Japan, both the Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa, Hokkaido and the World Wide Fund for Nature have expressed concern that the increased commercialism of this species may be putting too much burden on the animals. Futa was featured in a commercial for the Japan Tobacco cigarette company.

Gallery

Image:RedPanda_NashvilleZoo.jpg|Red panda at the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere. Image:Ailurus fulgens RoterPanda LesserPanda.jpg|Red Panda in Aachen Zoo, Germany Image:Red_Panda_-_Nashville_Zoo.jpg|Red Panda at the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere.

References

External links

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