Facts about Red Pandas
It is also known as Firefox or Lesser Panda. It is a herbivorous mammal which feeds primarily on bamboo. The Red Panda is endemic to the Himalayas in Bhutan, southern China, Pakistan, India, Laos, Nepal, and Burma. The Mozilla Firefox web browser is named after it. It is also the mascot of the Darjeeling international festivals. The Red Panda is the state animal in the Indian state of Sikkim. Unlike the Giant Panda, it is not a bear. They are very heat sensitive with an optimal “well-being” temperature between 17 and 25°C, and cannot tolerate temperatures over 25 °C at all. As a result, Red Pandas sleep during the hot noontime in the shady crowns of treetops, often lying stretched out on forked branches or rolled up in tree caves with their tail covering their face There are two extant subspecies of Red Panda: the Western Red Panda that lives in the western part of its range, and the somewhat larger Styan's Red Panda that lives in the east-northeastern part of its range. The Western Red Panda has lighter pelage, especially in the face, while the Styan's Red Panda has more dramatic facial markings. The effective population size in the Sichuan population is larger and more stable than that in the Yunnan population, implying a southward expansion from Sichuan to Yunnan. They have a gestation period of 112 to 158 days. Their cubs are blind at birth and weigh 110 to 130 g. This panda is slightly larger than a domestic cat. Their average lifespan is 8 to 10 years but they can reach a maximum of 15 years. The Red Panda cubs open their eyes about 18 days after birth, but not completely until 30 to 40 days. Their littre size is 4 cubs. This occurs between the end of May to the beginning of July. A few days before the birth the female begins to collect material, such as brushwood, grass and sheets, to use for the nest. The nest is normally located in a hollow tree or a rock column. The Red Pandas are sedentary during the day resting in the branches of trees and in tree hollows and increase their activity only in the late afternoon and/or early evening hours. The Red Panda and Giant Panda ore VERY distantly related to each other only by remote common ancestry from the Early Tertiary Period. It has a “false thumb” that is an extension of the wrist bone. The Red Pandas search for food at night, running along the ground or through the trees with speed and agility and, after finding food, use their front paws to place the food into their mouths. They are very quiet except for some twittering and whistling communication sounds. They drink by plunging their paw into the water and licking their paws. They live in territories, frequently alone, and only rarely live in pairs or in groups of families. Their predators include snow leopards, martens and humans. The species has also faced a great deal of human-induced habitat destruction. Red Pandas begin their daily activity with a ritual washing of their fur by licking their front paws and massaging their back, stomach and sides. They also scrub their back and belly along the sides of trees or a rock. They then patrol their territory, marking it with a weak musk-smelling secretion from their anal gland and with their urine. If a Red Panda feels threatened or senses danger, it will often try to scamper up into an inaccessible rock column or a tree. If they can no longer flee, they stand up on their hind legs, which makes them appear somewhat more daunting and allows them the possibility of using the razor-sharp claws on their front paws, which can inflict substantial wounds. They live in the slopes of the south of the Himalayas and the mountainous forests of the southwest of China, at altitudes of up to 4,800 meters, and generally do not venture below 1,800 meters. They are 79-120 cm long (including the tail length of 30 to 60 cm/12 to 24 in). Male Red Pandas are larger than females. Male Red Pandas weigh 4.5 to 6.2 kg (10 to 14 lb) while females 3 to 4.5 kg (6 to 10 lb). |
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