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Red pandas are called by many names.
Some of these names include: lesser panda, hun-ho, wah, and red
cat bear. It is slightly larger than a large housecat (6 to 13 pounds),
has rusty red fur, a long, bushy light and dark striped tail, a
short white nose, white eye patches, and dark tear tracks. |
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Red Pandas
live in the rugged mountain forests at high altitudes on the
southeastern slopes of the Himalayas from Nepal across Bhutan,
Sikkim, northern Assam, northern Burma, and as far east as
the western Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Szechuan.
The Red panda was the first panda
discovered in 1821, forty-eight years before the giant black
and white pandas were found in 1869. |
Red Panda Distribution
Red Panda Habitat |
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Red Pandas are usually gentle, curious
and quiet. They are crepuscular (active just before dusk and dawn)
and also nocturnal. They are good climbers and spend most of the
day sleeping in a tree. |
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Red pandas sleep in trees! |
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Red pandas mainly
feed on bamboo, but also eat acorns, roots, berries, lichens and
occasionally eggs and young birds. |
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Newborn Red Panda |
Females give birth to
1 to 4 young, after a gestation period of 112 to 158 days.
For the first 7 to 10 days after birth young remain essentially
immobile except when nursing (Roberts, 1975, 1981). The mother
remains curled around them. |
| when in the nest and, in her absence,
the young sleep in a curled or semi-curled position often
in contact with one another. Gradually, the young become more
active and move about in a uncoordinated fashion. They are
able to right themselves when placed on their back by day
12. By day 18, the eyes are open and the young are able to
orient toward light. By day 60, siblings are engaging in rough
tumble play in the nest and frequently venture to the entrance
of the nest. Young are able to climb proficiently by the time
they emerge from the nest at about day 90 (Keller, 1977; Roberts,
1975, 1980, 1981). |
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Snow Leopard |
Snow leopards are the
main predators of adults. The yellow-necked martens often
take cubs in the nest. |
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The usual communication call
of the Red panda is a series of short whistles and squeaks. When
frightened or angry they stand on their hind legs and give sharp
spitting hisses (like a cat), or a series of snorts. |
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Red pandas are an endangered
species, but it is difficult to determine their population numbers
because of their inaccessibility in the wild. Habitat destruction
is the number one reason Red pandas are endangered. |
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