Red Panda

Red Panda

Ailurus fulgens

Red pandas are known as “cat bears” due to their tendency to strike out in bear-like fashion when cornered and due to the similarity of their semi-retractile claws to cats. Like bears, their forelegs angle inward in a pigeon-toed fashion, giving a waddling walk. They also wash in a cat-like manner, first licking the soles of their feet, then rubbing them across their forehead and ears. They have a mild disposition and are gentle, quiet, and curious. Their usual vocal call is a series of short whistles or squeaky noises. When provoked, the red panda will give a sharp, spitting hiss or a series of snorts while standing on its hind legs.

Red pandas are classified as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The population is estimated at less than 10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline of greater than 10% over the next 3 generations. The major threats to them are habitat loss/fragmentation, poaching, and inbreeding.

In order to produce enough milk for their young, red panda mothers have to consume three times the normal quantity of their low-nutrient bamboo diet. Birth takes place in the spring with usually 1-2 cubs per litter, but they can have up to 4. Gestation period varies from 90-150 days, suggesting that there is some delayed implantation. Birth weight for cubs is approximately 200g at one week. They open their eyes at about 18 days, attain adult coloration by 90 days, and are weaned at about 5 months. The young stay with their mother for about a year or until the next litter is born.

What are they like?

Physical Description: Upper parts of the red panda's fur are rusty to a deep chestnut, their eye patches are dark, and the muzzle, lips, cheeks, and edges of the ears are white. Their fur is long and soft and the tail is bushy. Their head and body length is 22-24 inches, and their tail length is an additional 14-18 inches. Adult red pandas typically weigh between 8 and 17 pounds.

Life Span: In the wild, red pandas typically live 8-10 years. In zoos, they can live up to 14 years.

Diet: In the wild, they eat bamboo sprouts, grasses, roots, fruits, acorns, and occasionally eggs and young birds. At the Zoo, our red pandas eat a Marion Leaf-Eater diet, apples, and bananas in the mornings.

Social Structure: Red pandas are typically solitary but will sometimes travel in pairs or small family groups, especially during breeding season.

Habitat: Their main habitat consists of mountain forests, deciduous, coniferous, and bamboo thickets at high elevations of 7,200-13,000 feet. They prefer their habitat to range in temperatures between 50 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit.