Red+Panda

== = = = = =Red Panda=

Ailurus fulgens
The red pandas are endangered. They are mostly found in the temperate forests of the Himalayas and some high mountain areas of China and Myanmar.

Size:
The red panda has a head and body length of 20 - 25 inches. It weighs 7 - 13 lb.

http://www.animalinfo.org/species/carnivor/ailufulg.htm#Weight

Diet:
The red panda is classified as a carnivore although it eats mostly bamboo, grass, and fruit. They occasionally eat eggs or small animals.

http://www.wellingtonzoo.com/animals/animals/mammals/panda.html

Population:
The red pandas are endangered due to habitat loss. There are fewer than 2,500 adult red pandas.

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/AsiaTrail/RedPanda/factsheet.cfm

Lifespan:
The maximum lifespan is 14 years, but the average is 8 - 10 years.

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Ailurus_fulgens.html

Habitat:
Red pandas live in temperate climates in deciduous and coniferous rainforests. There is usually an understory of bamboo and hollow trees. The average temperature is 10 to 25 degrees celsius, and the average annual rainfall is 350 centimeters.

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Ailurus_fulgens.html

Range:
Red pandas are found in the Himalayan mountains between 2,200 and 4,800 meters in elevation in northern Burma and the districts of western Sichuan and Yunnan.

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Ailurus_fulgens.html

Offspring:
Adult red pandas rarely interact with each other outside of the mating season. During the mating season, scent-markings increase, and the females invite the males to mount her on the ground. Males leave their scent by urinating or rubbing their anogenital area on trees.

Mating season is in early winter. Births occur in spring and summer, with most of the newborns arriving in June. Litters range from one to four young. The gestation period of the red panda is approximately 134 days. Females become noticeably heavy and lethargic around six weeks before parturition. Several days before parturition, the female begins to carry nest materials (sticks, grass, leaves) to a suitable nest site. In the wild, a nest may be a hollow tree or a rock crevice. In captivity, a box, hollow logs, or other artificial dens can serve as a nest. All births take place between 4 PM and 9 AM, which is the period of highest activity. The young attain adult size at around 12 months, and are sexually mature at around 18 months.

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Ailurus_fulgens.html

Interseting Facts:

 * The Chinese name for red panda is hunho or firefox, due to their color and similar size to a fox.
 * Like giant pandas, red pandas have an extra 'thumb' which is simply an enlarged bone.
 * The red panda's claws are sharp and partly retractable.
 * A red panda can consume up to 45 percent of its own body weight daily eating approximately 200,000 bamboo leaves daily.
 * The origin of the name "panda" is the Nepalese word "nigalya ponya", which has the meaning of "eater of bamboo
 * The red panda was first discovered in 1821, 48 years before the giant pandas were found in 1869.

http://www.wellingtonzoo.com/animals/animals/mammals/panda.html

More Red Panda Links:
http://www.billybear4kids.com/animal/whose-toes/toes20a.html