IUCN red list status:
Endangered

For more information, please visit iucnredlist.org

Red Panda

The Red Panda is slightly larger than a domestic cat with a bear-like body and thick russet fur. Their belly and limbs are black, and there are white markings on the side of the head and above its small eyes. Almost 50% of the red panda’s habitat is in the Eastern Himalayas.

Red pandas are very skilful and acrobatic animals that predominantly stay in trees. These animals spend most of their lives in trees and even sleep aloft. When foraging, they are most active at night as well as in the gloaming hours of dusk and dawn. They use their long, bushy tails for balance and to cover themselves in winter, presumably for warmth.

Did you know?

Red Pandas, also known as the Lesser Panda or Red Cat Bear, were described by zoologist Frédéric Cuvier as ‘the most beautiful animal he had ever seen’, and so named them Ailurus fulgens, which translates to ‘shining cat’. Although their name may suggest Red Pandas are of some relation to cats or bears, they’re actually a one-of-a-kind species which diverged from the Carnivore Order, placing them in their own family: Ailuridae.