The red panda or Ailurus fulgens is a smaller relative of
the giant panda. Many zoologists debate weather the red pandas
are more closely related to the raccoon family or to the bear
family, but many experts think they belong to a family of
their own. The red panda is slightly larger than a large housecat,
has rusty red fur, a long light and dark striped tail, a short
white nose, and dark tear tracks. It is crepuscular which
means it is active around dawn and dusk and is very good at
climbing and spends much of its time in trees.
Red pandas are called by many names including lesser panda,
hun-ho, wah, and red cat bear. Besides your local zoo the
red panda in nature is often found in the bamboo forests of
Nepal, Burma, Bhutan, Tibet and Yunnan provinces in western
China. The red panda feeds mostly on bamboo leaves just like
it's larger cousin the great panda bear. They are also known
to feed on berries, mushrooms, bark, bird eggs, acorns, lichens
and mice. If you visit them in the zoo you will learn that
there they are fed bamboo biscuits.
These
animals are far more plentiful then the giant panda
and they are better able to reproduce in captivity
and in the wild. Their natural habitat is currently
being threatened and it is unlikely they will survive
in the wild if their specialized diet of mostly
bamboo leaves is threatened. Their mating season
is from January to March. Males fight over the right
to mate with females during her fourteen day breeding
condition. Once the mating occurs the gestation
period is 90-150 days, with births occurring in
May and June. Before giving birth the female lines
a tree cavity or rock cleft with grass. Between
1 and 4 cubs are born. They are blind but fully
covered with hair. Their eyes are open on the 18th
day and they leave the nest for the first time at
90 days. They become sexually mature at 18 months.
Infant mortality is very high just like the giant
panda. The Red Pandas' predator is the Snow leopard
and yellow-necked martens often take cubs in the
nest.
