The red panda is slightly larger than a domestic cat with a bear-like body and thick russet fur. The belly and limbs are black, and there are white markings on the side of the head and above its small eyes.
Red pandas are very skillful and acrobatic animals that predominantly stay in trees.
Almost 50% of the red panda’s habitat is in the Eastern Himalayas.
They use their long, bushy tails for balance and to cover themselves in winter, presumably for warmth.
Primarily an herbivore, the name panda is said to come from the Nepali word ‘ponya,’ which means bamboo or plant-eating animal.
Red pandas are voracious bamboo eaters. Bamboo constitutes 95% of their diet. But unlike giant pandas that eat nearly every portion of the bamboo, red pandas eat bamboo shoots and leaf tips. They strip off the stem with their mouth and sharp teeth. Since bamboo is hard to digest, red pandas can digest only around 24 percent of the bamboo they consume. To make up for it, they consume a lot!
Since pandas cannot fully digest their food they need to eat a lot of it to be able to absorb enough nutrients to survive. They eat food equivalent to up to 20 to 30 percent of their total body weight.
While they consume bamboo leaves throughout winter, they mainly eat new bamboo shoots in spring. In fall they eat roots, grass, fruits, acorns, and other small insects, bird eggs, and grubs. Pregnant red pandas are known to also eat birds, lizards, and small rodents.
WHY THEY MATTER?
Almost 50% of the red panda’s habitat is in the Eastern Himalayas. The loss of nesting trees and bamboo is causing a decline in red panda populations across much of their range because their forest home is being cleared.
Red pandas are often killed when they get caught in traps meant for other animals such as wild pigs and deer. They are also poached for their distinctive pelts in China and Myanmar. Red panda fur caps or hats have been found for sale in Bhutan.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Pledge for Our Planet
Our planet is facing major conservation challenges from threats like climate change, deforestation, overfishing, and illegal wildlife trade.
But protecting our planet and keeping planetary warming below 1.5C (2.7° F) is not impossible and none of us need to do it alone.
Our impact on the planet primarily comes from what we eat, what we buy, how we power our homes, and how we travel from place to place. Of course, governmental policies and protections also play an important role.
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO PLEDGE!!
HAVE A GREAT WEEK AHEAD!!!