Red Panda Facts

Red Panda Facts

Image source:  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Greg5030

Comman names-Lesser panda and red cat-bear

1. The red panda is the ORIGINAL panda.  It was first described in 1821, 48 years before the giant panda was found.

2. The origin of the name "Panda" is the Nepalese word for red panda - "Nigalya poonya"-which means "eater of bamboo.”

3. The Chinese name for the red panda is hunho or firefox, due to their colour and similar size to a fox. The web browser “Firefox” is named after them.

4. Like giant pandas, red pandas have an extra “thumb,” which is an enlarged bone for grabbing bamboo stems.

5. Red Pandas claws are sharp and can be pulled back like a cat.

6. A red panda eats approximately 200,000 bamboo leaves daily.

7. Red Pandas red and black color camouflages them from their predators. The red on their backs is exactly the same color as moss found on the trees where they live. The black on their stomach makes it difficult to see them from below.

8. Red Pandas are found in the mountain forests of Nepal, India, Bhutan, China and Myanmar (Burma).

9. Red Pandas are most closely related to raccoons and are similar to giant pandas and bears but are now in a 'family' of their own.

10. Red pandas are most active in the early morning and late afternoon spending most of the day resting in trees conserving their energy. Red Pandas are normally solitary creatures but come together in pairs in the breeding season.

11. Although classified as a carnivore, red pandas eat mainly bamboo leaves, grass and fruit. Occasionally they will eat an egg, insect or small animal.

12. After 3 months growing in their mother, cubs are born into a nest made of twigs and grass. Newborn cubs are covered in thick gray fur and their eyes and ears are closed. The cubs emerge from the nest at about 3 months of age but stay with their mother until the next breeding season begins.

13. The danger of the Red Panda is anything that eats meat and can climb trees. The tiger is the most known predator of the Red Panda.

14. The Red Panda lives in high areas which are cold and when they sleep they rap their tail around them.

15. The Red Panda has a “fake thumb”.

16. The red panda is 2 feet long with an 18 inch tail. It is slightly larger than a house cat. 

17. The red panda lives on the cool mountain slopes in areas that have a lot of bamboo.

18. Red pandas have developed special abilities that make them great climbers. Their claws are long, sharp, and can be retracted. They have strong legs and can climb down trees head first!Their big tails help them balance as they go through the trees. They have an extra thumb-like bone that helps them grip bamboo, and their fur helps them camouflage and hide from predators. The red on their backs is the same color as the moss on the trees, and their black bellies make it hard to see from below.

19. They are the original pandas, first described in 1821.

20. The web browser Firefox is named after the red panda.