Beyond the Himalayas, red pandas can sometimes be spotted in the mountains of Sichuan or Vietnam. These solitary animals prefer cooler climates with plenty of trees and vegetation for them to climb on. Though they can prove elusive in their natural habitats, they can often be found in temperate bamboo forests at elevations of 5,000 to 15,000 feet. You might have seen a picture of a red panda, but where do they live? Red pandas are native to the Himalayan mountain range, primarily in parts of southern China, northern Myanmar, and India. It's clear that red pandas are very special indeed! Zoo Or The Wild: Where Do We Find Them? The average lifespan of a red panda is eight to ten, although it might differ depending on whether they live in the wild or are contained in captivity. They measure around twenty to twenty-five inches in length, including tails. Red pandas weigh about six to fourteen pounds. Red pandas are much smaller than giant pandas. Its scientific name is Ailurus fulgens which means "fire-colored cat" in Latin. Red pandas have thick reddish orange-brown fur, short furry tails, and small round ears that make them resemble a combination of a bear, a skunk, a cat, and a raccoon. After all, there's a reason why they have been christened the superstars of Instagram. It's an adorable mammal native to the Himalayas and southwestern China, and they are gaining more and more attention lately. ![]() They were originally thought to be related to the giant panda and the raccoon, but right now, red pandas belong to their own distinct family…the Ailuridae. In rare instances red pandas have been snatched from the wild, likely for the illegal pet trade.What exactly is a red panda? Biologists actually aren’t 100% sure. Hunters also kill red pandas for their fur or inadvertently when the creatures stumble into traps meant for other animals. These animals are threatened by people clearing their forest habitat for logging and agriculture, as well as by diseases that can spread from domesticated animals. While no one knows the exact number of animals in the wild, a 2015 estimate put the population at 10,000, a 50 percent drop since 1997. Red pandas are considered endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the organization that determines the conservation status of plant and animal species. Males take little or no interest in the cubs, leaving the cub-rearing to the mothers. They typically give birth to one to four cubs that remain with them for about 90 days. They don’t have a big window: females are only fertile for a couple of days a year. This smelly liquid also serves another purpose: Males release it to mark their territory when searching for a mate in winter and early spring. Red pandas even have two layers of fur-a soft undercoat covered with coarse hairs-to insulate them from the mountain chill, and they use their long tail as a wraparound blanket. ![]() This helps them quickly escape predators like snow leopards and jackals, which may have difficulty seeing the animals to begin with: Their coats match the moss clumps that grow on their tree homes, and their black bellies make it difficult for predators to spot them from the ground. These animals have adapted incredibly well to their environment: They have sharp, semi-retractable claws that help them grip slippery branches, and their flexible ankles give them the unique ability to climb down trees headfirst. They spend the vast majority of their lives in trees, where they sleep and sunbathe. Red pandas live in the rainy mountain forests of Nepal, India, Bhutan, northern Myanmar (Burma), and central China. The Chinese red panda is a bit larger and has more distinct rings on its fluffy tail. While originally thought to be two subspecies-the Himalayan red panda and the Chinese red panda-growing evidence suggests they may be two distinct species instead. Taxonomists previously assigned them to both the raccoon family and the bear family, but DNA research later revealed that they belong to their own unique family (Ailuridae) and genus ( Ailurus). ![]() Red pandas, which grow to about the size of a house cat, are impressive acrobats that climb and swing on trees in their Asian forest homes, and they once sparked fierce debate about their relationship to giant pandas. Red pandas have shot to viral fame for their adorable looks, but there’s a lot more to these elusive animals than their kitten-like faces and striking reddish-brown coats. Current Population Trend: Decreasing About red pandas
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