22 Facts About Red panda

Red panda, known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China.

Red panda was described and named in 1825 by Frederic Cuvier, who gave it its current scientific name Ailurus fulgens.

The red panda was described earlier by Thomas Hardwicke in 1821, but his paper was only published in 1827.

At the time, most prominent biologists considered the red panda to be related to the giant panda, which would eventually be found to be a bear.

The earliest known true Red panda is Magerictis from the Middle Miocene of Spain and known only from one tooth, a lower second molar.

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Researchers have compared it to the genome of the giant panda to learn the genetics of convergent evolution, as both species have false thumbs and are adapted for a specialised bamboo diet despite having the digestive system of a carnivore.

Red panda's coat is mainly red or orange-brown with a black belly and legs.

Red panda has a relatively small head, though proportionally larger than in similarly sized raccoons, with a reduced snout and triangular ears, and nearly evenly lengthed limbs.

In Fengtongzhai and Yele National Nature Reserves, the red panda microhabitat is characterised by steep slopes with lots of bamboo stems, shrubs, fallen logs and stumps, whereas the giant panda prefers gentler slopes with taller but lesser amounts of bamboo and less habitat features overall.

Red panda is difficult to observe in the wild, and most studies on its behaviour have taken place in captivity.

The red panda appears to be both nocturnal and crepuscular, sleeping in between periods of activity at night.

Red panda is largely herbivorous and feeds primarily on bamboo, mainly the genera Phyllostachys, Sinarundinaria, Thamnocalamus and Chimonobambusa.

In Bhutan's Jigme Dorji National Park, red panda faeces found in the fruiting season contained seeds of Himalayan ivy.

Faecal samples of red panda collected in Nepal contained parasitic protozoa, amoebozoans, roundworms, trematodes and tapeworms.

Red panda is primarily threatened by the destruction and fragmentation of its habitat, the causes of which include increasing human population, deforestation, the unlawful taking of non-wood forest material and disturbances by herders and livestock.

In Myanmar, the red panda is threatened by hunting using guns and traps; since roads to the border with China were built starting in the early 2000s, red panda skins and live animals have been traded and smuggled across the border.

In southwestern China, the red panda is hunted for its fur, especially for the highly valued bushy tails, from which hats are produced.

Red panda is listed in CITES Appendix I and protected in all range countries; hunting is illegal.

In 1908, the first captive red panda cubs were born in an Indian zoo.

In Nepal's Taplejung District, red panda claws are used for treating epilepsy; its skin is used in rituals for treating sick people, making hats, scarecrows and decorating houses.

Hats made of red panda tails are used by local newlyweds as a "good-luck charm".

Red panda was recognised as the state animal of Sikkim in the early 1990s and was the mascot of the Darjeeling Tea Festival.