Red panda

The red panda belongs to the half-bear family, like the raccoon and coati, and is also known as the little panda, or cat bear. Its scientific name, Ailurus fulgens, means something like "fire-coloured cat" or "shiny cat".

It was first discovered in 1825 and for the next 50 years was the only known panda in the western world.

The red panda, like the giant panda, has an extra finger - which is actually a specialised wrist bone. It is used as an extra thumb and makes it easier to grip the bamboo straws.

The red panda is nocturnal and therefore spends most of the day lying down and resting. It is agile and very skilful at climbing. When climbing, it uses its tail as a balance pole and when jumping from branch to branch, it can jump up to 1.5 metres.

• Distribution: Bamboo forests in the Himalayan mountains between 2200 and 4800 metres altitude - Bhutan, China, India, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Nepal
• Population: Highly endangered due to the destruction of bamboo forests
• Weight: 4-6 kilos. Males slightly larger than females
• Body length: 50-60 centimetres
• Neck length: Approximately 30-60 centimetres
• Sexual maturity: From 18 months of age
• Gestation: 112-158 days. Mating time probably from May to July
• Number of cubs: 1-4
• Food: Mostly bamboo, but also berries, mushrooms, bark and grass, as well as small mammals, birds, eggs and insects
• Lifespan: Approximately 15 years
• Latin name: Ailurus fulgens

From mating to cub independence

Pandas usually live alone, which means that the male and female stay apart. During the mating season, the male and female get together, but when there are cubs, the male keeps to himself. 

Red pandas usually mate during January and give birth in June-July. Their gestation period can vary between 90-150 days, also known as staggered gestation. This means that no matter when the female is mated, she can delay the development of the foetus so that the cubs are always born at the most favourable time.

During the first few months of life, the chicks stay in a burrow. The female lines the burrow a little with leaves and branches, and she makes sure to remove the chicks' faeces so that the odour doesn't attract predators. The female will move her chicks to a new burrow regularly to hide them from potential predators.

The chicks are weaned from their mother around January, during which time the mother starts getting ready to mate again. During the mating period, both the male and female often stay together in a den at night, and then it's time for the chicks to move out.

Custom built for bamboo

The red panda is not, as many believe, related to the giant panda. The giant panda belongs to the bear family, while the red panda is a half-bear and related to, for example, rhinoceroses. The giant panda is vegetarian and feeds exclusively on bamboo, but the red panda is actually omnivorous. They may eat small mammals, eggs and baby birds, berries and nuts, but in the wild, bamboo is their primary food. And pandas are specially designed to eat bamboo because they have an extra small thumb to grip the bamboo stalks. Pandas are pretty picky about their bamboo. If it's the slightest bit dry or bent in the leaves, they won't eat it.