RED PANDA

Red Panda

Kingdom : Animalia

Class       : Mammalia

Order      : Carnivora

Family    : Ailuride

Species   : A. fulgens

Red Panda also called as Lesser Panda and Red cat bear lives in the temperate climates , mostly along the Himalayan region  which includes foothills of Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and in India it is found in the Northeastern states such as Arunachal pradesh, Sikkim, West bengal and Meghalaya with majority of the population found in Arunachal pradesh. About 50% of Red pandas are found in eastern Himalayas. Most of the Red pandas are found in china.

Red pandas usually grow to the size of an house cat. The total length of Red Panda measures between 80 cm to 115 cm (Head and body length is 50 to 65 cm and length of the tail measure between 30 to 50 cm). The weight of the Red Panda measures between 3.3 to 6.6 kilograms. The body of Red Panda is marked with red and white markings which helps to blend in with the environment the live(mostly red mosses and white lichens). Red pandas use their long, bushy tails for balance and cover themselves during winter

Red pandas eat bamboos, acorns, fruits, eggs and small mammals. Red Pandas are mostly herbivores but occasionally they like to surprise small mammals and birds by adding them to their diet.

Red pandas are declining due to habitat fragmentation*, deforestation(for agriculture development and timber extraction), livestock grazing in wildlife sanctuaries and national parks which results in loss of nesting trees and bamboos on which the Red Pandas feed. Red Pandas are also poached for their pelt from which fancy hats and dresses are produced (Bushy tails are used for decoration on cats and dresses).

*Habitat fragmentation: Emergence of discontinuities (fragmentation) or change in an organisms preferred environment due to geological process that slowly alter the layout of the physical environment.