Red pandas (scientific name: Ailurus fulgens) have a cat like appearance, but are larger than cats and have a reddish brown body. Round face, short snout, with white markings on cheeks. Large ears, upright and forward. The limbs are thick and short, black brown in color. The tail is long, thick and fluffy, with 12 red and dark alternating ring patterns; The tail tip is dark brown. Metatarsal mobility; Both front and back feet have 5 toes; Asexual type II. The skull is tall and round; The auditory vesicles are relatively flat; Incomplete development or absence of posterior orbital processes; Sagittal crest low; Winged disc bone; The upper palate is high and arched, with a depression in the middle; Middle wing bone palatal constriction; The coronal process is clearly hooked.
Red pandas usually inhabit large tree or rock caves and crevices. Come out early and late to search for food, and sleep in caves or deep under the shade of big trees during the day. When sleeping, curl your head up in your limbs, wrap your forelimbs around your head, and cover your body with your tail. Sometimes my feet droop and I lie high on the branches. Skilled at climbing, often able to climb high and thin branches to rest or avoid enemies.
Red pandas have a plump body and are covered with thick, long fur. The body length is 40-63 centimeters, the tail length is more than half of the body length, and the weight is generally about 5 kilograms. The head is short and wide, with a protruding snout, a round face, and white patches on the cheeks. Eyes facing forward, with round pupils. The nasal end is exposed, and the skin surface is granular. Ears large and upright, extending forward. The auricle is pointed, with hair inside the ear and long clusters of hair growing on the outer side of the base of the ear. The limbs are thick and short, the hind limbs are slightly longer than the forelimbs, and both the front and rear limbs have five toes and plantar mobility. There is thick and dense fuzz on the palms of the feet, covering the plantar pad. The claws are curved and sharp, and can stretch and retract. The tail is thick and long, unable to wrap around objects, and has alternating deep and shallow ring patterns on the tail.
Adult Red Panda Fur Color: Adult red pandas are covered with thick, reddish brown fur, but some individuals have bright orange yellow tips on the buttocks and back, with gray brown fur that is very thick. The nose and eye circles are black brown, and the beard is white. There are white spots around the mouth, upper part of the nose, cheeks, and eyebrows. The forehead of the head is brownish yellow or light yellow brown. There is white hair on the outer edge and inside the ear, black brown on the back of the ear, and a cluster of white hair on the outer side of the ear base. The neck and abdomen are black brown in color, with short and slightly lighter abdominal hair. The limbs and palms are black, and the soles of the feet have yellow fur that covers the plantar pads. The claws are milky white. The tail hair is thick, short, and fluffy, with red brown, yellow white, or red brown, black brown alternating ring patterns on it. The tail end is black brown. The fur color of red pandas does not differ from that of winter and summer.
JuvenileRed Panda Fur Color: The fur color of the newborn larvae is relatively light, gray yellow, and fluffy. The head is white with no facial blemishes. The front of the ears is white, and the back of the ears is black brown. The limbs are darker in brown gray color. The tail is gray white and does not show ring patterns. After a few days, the fur color gradually darkened, the brownish yellow needle hair on the back of the body gradually increased, and the limbs turned black brown. The color on the head and face is relatively light, without any facial blemishes. About a month later, the tail ring faintly appeared. After more than 2 months, the facial patches of young animals gradually resemble those of adult animals, and clusters of hair grow on the ear base. As the seasons change, the young beasts gradually grow reddish brown long needle fur mixed with fluffy gray fur in the autumn of that year. The fur color of winter feathered young beasts is the same as that of adult beasts.
Red Panda Skull: The entire contour of the skull is high and round. The snout is relatively short, and the nasal bone is significantly tilted forward. The frontal bone is high and raised, with a slight depression in the center. The orbital distance is relatively wide and there is a posterior orbital protrusion. In young individuals, the posterior orbital protrusion is not very obvious, while in older individuals, the posterior orbital protrusion becomes more prominent. The zygomatic arch is thick, with a significant upward arch at the back, and the jaw joint is reinforced and enlarged. The sagittal crest is generally underdeveloped and only present in older individuals. The anterior part of the crest is low and angular, while the posterior part is thin and high. The palatal bone is arched, with a relatively flat front end, a dome shaped middle section, and a low oblique rear section, with a longitudinal groove in the middle. The palatal bone extends backwards beyond the posterior edge of the last molar. At the base of the pterygoid disc, there is an internal channel between the foramen ovale and the foramen ovale, called the pterygoid disc groove canal. This is one of the features on the skull of a red panda. This feature is present on both sides of most skulls, but there are also a few skulls with only one side present and the other side lacking. The auditory vesicles are underdeveloped and slightly swollen, with a long tubular external auditory canal. The accessory occipital process is significantly longer than the mastoid process. The lower jaw is relatively short, about two-thirds of the total length of the skull. The coronal process is high, the articular process is strong, and the angular process is large and low.
Red Panda Teeth: There are three pairs of front teeth, with two small pairs in the middle and one larger pair on the outer side. The canine teeth are conical in shape, with two longitudinal grooves on the inner and outer sides of the upper canine teeth and one groove on each side of the lower canine teeth. The anterior molars and molars are low crown and have multiple pointed teeth. The first anterior molar of the upper jaw is often missing, while the second anterior molar is small and sharp, with a very protruding tip in the middle. The third and fourth premolars are relatively large; There are three tooth tips on the outer side, with the middle tooth tip being higher and the front and rear tooth tips being lower. The inner side also has three tooth tips, but opposite to the outer side. The front and back two tooth tips are higher, while the middle one is lower and smaller. The fourth premolar has obvious features of no cracked teeth, and its structure is similar to the first molar, but smaller. There are two molars on each side, and the first molar is larger than the second molar. The chewing surface is wide, and the transverse diameter is larger than the diameter. Each molar has 4 tooth tips and several small tips (attached tips) formed by tooth bands. The first anterior molar of the lower jaw is very small, and the anterior molar and molar form a narrow and elongated shape with a diameter greater than the transverse diameter. The tooth type is: 38 (pieces).
Red Panda Habitat
Mainly living in areas with bamboo groves in coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests or evergreen broad-leaved forests below an altitude of 3000 meters. The annual temperature in these areas is generally below 25 ℃ in summer, and between 0-10 ℃ in winter. The activity area is relatively large. In summer, red pandas often move in valleys with streams on shady slopes, while in winter, they move in valleys and basins on sunny slopes. After snowfall, they even move to grassy slopes and shrubs near villages. Especially fond of basking in the sun on sunny cliffs or tree tops, local people in Sichuan commonly refer to it as "mountain gate squatting".
The number of species such as giant pandas in the southwestern mountainous areas of China is shrinking day by day. The latest report from the organization "Protect International" points out that in the mountainous areas of southwestern China, due to overgrazing, illegal hunting, and other reasons, only about 8% of the forest is still in its original state.
The Living Habits of Red Pandas
Red pandas usually inhabit large tree or rock caves and crevices. Come out early and late to search for food, and sleep in caves or deep under the shade of big trees during the day. When sleeping, curl your head up in your limbs, wrap your forelimbs around your head, and cover your body with your tail. Sometimes my feet droop and I lie high on the branches. Skilled at climbing, often able to climb high and thin branches to rest or avoid enemies. Due to the thick and dense fur on the soles of their feet, red pandas are also suitable for walking on damp moss or rocks in forests. When walking, the front feet bend inward and the gait is unsteady, similar to that of a bear. He usually moves slowly and has a gentle temperament, rarely making noises. Hearing and vision are relatively dull, and the sense of smell is not particularly sensitive. Generally, individual or paired activities or small group activities are carried out. No hibernation habits, often avoiding rain and snow in crevices of rocks or deep under the shade of large trees.
Red pandas prefer to eat bamboo shoots, tender branches, and leaves of arrow bamboo, as well as various wild fruits, leaves, moss, and prey on small birds or bird eggs, other small animals, insects, etc., especially those with a sweet taste. In places where red pandas are active, there are often many grass green feces that, like raccoons, are fond of cleaning and defecate in fixed locations. The habit of rubbing and wiping the face with the palm or using the tongue to clean the edges of the mouth after feeding.
Red Panda Predators: weasels, jackals, and leopards.
The Reproductive Mode of Red Pandas
Red pandas generally estrus between March and April in early spring, and during this period, both males and females often make a unique mating sound and often rub their external genitalia against stones or tree stumps. During this period, females will also excrete odorous secretions. The pregnancy period is 117-122 days, and babies are born from May to July. There are 2-3 babies per pregnancy, with occasional 4 babies. Due to the strong reproductive capacity of red pandas, in natural conditions, the proportion of the population is often more juvenile than adult, and young than old.
When a red panda baby is born, it is covered with fur and has a light color. Close your eyes. The head is gray white with no facial blemishes. The body length is about 20 centimeters, and the weight is about 100-150 grams. The tail is very long, about 5 centimeters, but the tail ring is not visible. Starting from around 21-30 days, I can make a squeaking sound when I open my eyes, and my front and rear limbs can move slowly. My body color gradually darkens. Red panda babies live with their mother animal for about a year, often only driving them away before the mother animal gives birth the following year, and the cubs begin to live independently.
Is a red panda a colony or a solitary habitat? There are different reports. Some scholars believe that red pandas usually live in groups of 3-5, while others believe that red pandas are a solitary animal. From 1985 to 2003, some staff members of Fengtongzhai Nature Reserve witnessed and observed wild red pandas 35 times in the wild, of which 28 times (80%) were single activity, and the remaining 7 times only included 2-3 individuals, with 5 times during the breeding or juvenile period. From this perspective, wild red pandas, like giant pandas, spend most of their lives living alone.
