A Look Inside the Life of Red Pandas

A Look Inside the life of Red Pandas

A Look Inside the life of Red Pandas

An unfortunate addition to the endangered species list is the exotic Red Panda. The red panda is small, roughly the size of a house cat (“Mammals”, 2014). A mostly herbivorous animal, bamboo makes up most of the red panda's diet (Mammals”, 2014). The Red Panda's habitat is in the comfort of a mixed evergreen /deciduous forest. They originated from the Himalayas throughout Asia. These animals have been pushed to the point of endangerment due to to deforestation and is now protected, though lack of habitat is still a threat. Conservation efforts are being made to revive this beautiful species. Even though undefined red pandas are classified as relatives of the giant panda and the raccoon, they are interesting and endangered animals, fighting for a second chance.

Physical Characteristics

The Red Panda is a small, yet extremely beautiful animal. The Red Panda weighs anywhere from twelve to twenty pounds (“Mammals”, 2014). The head and body's combined length is anywhere from twenty to twenty six inches with a long, bushy, and raccoon like tail measuring anywhere between twelve and twenty inches in length (“Mammals”, 2014). Red Pandas have reddish-brown fur with very distinct white marks on their face and tail. Their tail is long and fluffy, they have small ears, and their whiskers are long and white in color. Red pandas also have a thumb like protrusion on their wrists that help them to grasp onto bamboo stalks while they feed on the leaves.

Eating Habits

The Red Panda's eating habits are almost the same of the Giant Panda. The Red Panda is classified as a herbivorous animal, their diet consisting of mostly bamboo. They will also eat bugs, eggs, acorns, berries, nuts, flowers, mushrooms and roots when they are available. During the winter months to cope with the lack of available food the Red Pandas have evolved...