Classification
and Range
The subfamily
of red pandas is divided into two subspecies: A. f. styani, which
are native to northern Myanmar and south-central China, and A. f.
fulgens, which is native to Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and the Indian
states of Assam and Sikkim.
Habitat
Remote mountainous areas
of dense forest and bamboo thickets. Elevation ranges from 6,000-12,000
feet (1,828-3,658 m). |
Head/Body and Tail Length
Adult head/body length: 20-26 inches (51-66 cm)
Adult tail length: 12-20 inches (30-51 cm) |
Weight
The subspecies Ailurus fulgens
styani weighs 12-20 pounds (5.4-9.1 kg). The subspecies Ailurus
fulgens fulgens is a slightly smaller animal. |
Life
Span
About 8 years in the wild; up to 15 years in zoos. |
Diet
In the wild: Red pandas consume predominately
bamboo shoots and leaves, grasses, roots, fruits, lichens and acorns.
They occasionally eat insects, eggs, young birds and small rodents.
At the zoo: Apple-fiber
biscuit, bamboo and various fruit, grubs and berries (as encountered in this exhibit). |
Reproduction
Red pandas
sexually mature when they are 18-20 months old. Being rather shy and
solitary animals, adult red pandas normally share each other’s
company only during the breeding season. Breeding occurs from early January
to early March and births take place from mid-May to mid-July. Females
appear to be in estrus (heat) once a year and are receptive for only an 18-24
hour period. The gestation period lasts approximately 134 days. Several
weeks before giving birth, females may begin to build nests from sticks
and leaves in hollow trees or rock crevasses. Mothers give birth to one
to four cubs (normally two).
Life Cycle
At birth, cubs weighs 4-4.6 ounces (113-130
g), are fully furred and gray-buff in color. Newborns are blind and
totally reliant on their mothers for survival. Young open their eyes
after about three weeks and attain full adult coloration by 90 days.
Cubs are weaned at around 5 months and stay with their mother for about
a year or until the next litter is about to be born. Males take no
part in rearing their young. Adult red pandas, and males in particular,
appear to be territorial. Using glandular sacs in their anal region,
they scent mark territorial boundaries by rubbing their sacs on various
objects in the wild. Additionally, they may also mark territory by
using regular defecation sites. Red pandas have a mild, non-aggressive
disposition.
Coat
of Fire
The red panda is named after the fiery color of its long, soft
coat. The coat's
red color serves as camouflage to blend with the reddish-brown moss and white lichen that occurs in
fir trees of China. Coloration for the upper parts of the coat are rusty to
deep chestnut while the underside is darkest in color. The coat is comprised
of long, moisture-shedding guard hairs and a dense undercoat of insulating
gray-brown wool. The muzzle, lips, cheeks and ear edges are white, and dark
red-brown tear tracks run from the eyes to the corners of the mouth. The limbs
and underbelly are glossy dark reddish brown to black. The red panda has a
bushy, non-prehensile tail that makes up two thirds the length of its body.
The tail is faintly marked with dark red-brown rings.
Thickly furred soles
of the feet are adapted for walking on snow and ice. Excellent climbers,
red pandas have pinkish-white claws that are half sheathed and semi-retractile.
The red panda has an enlarged radial sesamoid bone on its forefoot
wrist that is opposite its other digits. This "extra thumb" enables
the red panda to grip and hold slender branches and leaves in its
forepaws.
Up a Tree!
Red pandas are primarily nocturnal animals, sleeping and relaxing
during the day in trees or fallen logs, and foraging for food on the
forest floor at dusk and dawn. When asleep, the red panda curls up
on a branch with its nose tucked under a hind limb and its tail. They
have also been observed in a sleeping position much like the American
raccoon, sitting on a branch with head tucked beneath its chest and
between their hind feet. On particularly warm days, red pandas can
be seen fully stretched with belly pressed on a limb and legs dangling.
|
Fascinating
Facts
- Until recently, scientists debated on the
proper scientific classification of red and giant pandas.
Some argued that both pandas belonged in the raccoon family
Procyonidae. Others considered them so distinct that they
should be grouped in a separate family, the Ailuropodidae.
Still others contended that the giant panda belonged in the
bear family, Ursidae. Recent studies of giant pandas' chromosome
and protein characteristics have resolved only one part of
this issue. It was found that the giant panda belong to the
bear family Ursidae. However, classification for the red
panda remains incomplete.
- When disturbed, red pandas exhales an explosive whuufff,
much like a raccoon. At the same time, they violently arch
their bodies to frighten off intruders!
|
Woodland Park Zoo's red pandas are located near the southern pudus and cranes in the Temperate Forest. If you have trouble spotting
them, look up - chances are they are curled up and resting high in
a tree.
Both subspecies
of red panda are endangered.** Although they are protected in some
preserves, their numbers are still declining due to deforestation,
increased agriculture and cattle grazing, and continuing pressure
from growing local populations. The future existence of the red panda
in the wild is in jeopardy.
Woodland
Park Zoo participates in the Association of Zoos & Aquariums'
(AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) for red pandas. The red panda SSP
helps manage captive populations in North America, and through research
and education, helps preserve wild red panda populations in their
changing habitat. Red pandas born at Woodland Park Zoo have been
sent to other American zoos so that they may breed new generations
of red panda.
How You Can Help!
The effort to save endangered species requires cooperation and support
at the international, national, regional and individual levels. You can
help in this cause. Join and become active in Woodland Park Zoo
and other conservation organizations of your choice. Please do
not buy products made from wild animal parts.
Contact Woodland
Park Zoo at webkeeper@zoo.org to find out about ways
you can support conservation programs at the zoo. Learn other ways
you can help conserve wildlife and the habitats they require for
survival by visiting our How You Can Help page.
Sources and Suggested
Reading
MacClintock, Dorcas. 1988. Red Pandas: A
Natural History. Charles Scribner's Sons for Young Readers,
New York, NY. 104 p.
More
References
* Taxonomic classification varies between
references. Classification information used in this fact sheet was
taken from Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution: Whence the Red
Panda? Vol. 17, No. 2, November 2000, pp. 190-199.
** There are several international and federal agencies that determine
the endangered status of species. WPZ designates a species as endangered
if it is listed as endangered on the IUCN (International Union for
the Conservation of Nature) Red List, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service's Endangered Species List, or on Appendix I of CITES (Convention
on the International Trade of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna). |
