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There has been much debate over the years about which animal family Red Pandas are a part of. At one point, they were thought to be related to Giant Pandas, in the Ursidae (bear) family. Red Pandas were first discovered in 1825, while the Giant Panda was found later in 1869, acquiring the name ‘panda’ as well due to their similar feeding habits.
Panda – meaning bamboo eater.
Later on, they were thought to be more closely related to the Musteloidea family which contains animals like skunks, raccoons, and weasels. Visually it doesn’t seem like much of a stretch when looking at the unique fluffy tails and the face masks of Red Pandas and Raccoons:
Red Pandas are great tree climbers! They use their long tails to help keep them balanced and their semi-retractable claws to navigate tree branches in such a way that makes climbing trees look easy. This ability also helps them escape predators such as leopards.
Their white face markings are more than a cute physical feature, it helps them survive. This white fur, almost luminescent, helps keep the sun out of their eyes and can help mothers find their cubs when it is dark.
This species is made for the cold. Their dense fur, even on the bottom of their paws, helps keep their bodies warm when temperatures drop. In extremely cold temperatures, they can become dormant, lowering their metabolic rate and raising it every few hours as they wake up to look for food.
They are more active at night and in the early morning hours. During the day they are often found up in the trees curled up or sprawled out depending on the temperature.
Red Pandas who feel threatened may let out a barking sound or release a pungent liquid from glands at the base of their tail. This liquid can also be a way to allow other Red Pandas when they are crossing territory lines, or when a Red Panda is ready to mate. (Watch the video below to learn more about these forms of communication and the process of Red Panda cubs becoming adults.)
Looking beyond how adorable they are, we can see how important they are to the ecosystem they live in. They affect the survival of the predators that rely on them for survival along with bringing balance to bamboo control. If bamboo plants are allowed to grow and grow and grow, it would effect the growth of other plant life in the forests which would affect not only the forest but the other animals that live there.
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