Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens)
Red Pandas are truly one of kind, with no living relatives. Experts disagree on how to group them, as they share common features with bears, racoons, weasels and the Giant Panda. Red Pandas are endangered, because of poaching and shrinking habitat due to farming and logging.
Red Pandas are found in Nepal through north-easten India, Bhutan and into China, Laos and northern Myanmar. They are solitary animals who mark their territory with scent, urine and faeces. Red Pandas tend to live on forested slopes and and enjoy sunbathing in south facing areas. They mainly feed on the ground and their diet consists of bamboo, grasses, roots, acorns, berries and lichens. They also occasionally feed on insects, eggs, young birds and small rodents.
The only time Red Pandas don't live in solitude is when mothers give birth to cubs. They are born blind and covered with buff coloured hair.
Red Pandas at Chester Zoo
Average weight of an adult: 3 - 6kg
Average length of an adult: 50 - 60am
Number of cubs: 1 - 4
Pregnancy: Around 130 days
Life span: About 15 years in captivity
Amazing animal fact
A female Red Panda can eat 200,000 bamboo leaves in one day!
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