Red panda habitat and other red panda facts
The red panda is a member of the order Carnivora. Because of its resemblance to members of the raccoon (Procyonidae) and bear (Ursidae) families, it has been the subject of much controversy for its classification. The latest genetic studies have made it possible to classify it in a separate family: the Ailuridae, of which it is the only representative.
Currently, 2 subspecies are recognized: the western red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) and the Styan red panda (Ailurus fulgens styani), which would be larger and darker than the first and present only in China (in the provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan) and northern Burma.
INFORMATION SHEET
Longevity:
8 to 10 years in the wild / 15-18 years in captivity
Cut :50-64 cm long + 30-50 cm for the tail
Average weight :3 to 6 kg
Way of life: Lonely
Food: Omnivorous
Environment: Deciduous and coniferous forests with the presence of a dense understory of bamboo.
Breeding: Mid-April – Mid-July
Sexual maturity: Around 2 years old
Pregnancy:90 to 160 days
PARTICULARITY
Morphological characteristics
Body length: 50 to 64 cm.
Tail length: 30-50cm.
Height at the withers: 26 to 28 cm.
Weight: 3 to 6 kg on average.
The lesser panda has a flamboyant red coat, with black areas on the legs. These colors ensure perfect camouflage in the branches of trees.
Its round face has white patches on the muzzle, cheeks, eyebrows, and ears. A reddish-brown line descends from the eyes to the mouth.
Its tail is streaked with a dozen light rings and is not prehensile (it cannot wrap it around an object and use it as a hand).
There is no sexual dimorphism: males and females look identical.
The red panda is arboreal, its long and thick claws are semi-retractile and are very useful for climbing trees. In addition, its tail serves as a balance when climbing.
Its front legs are directed inwards, which facilitates its movements in the trees and explains its particular waddling when it walks on the ground.
Its powerful and sharp molars allow it to effectively crush the fibrous plants it feeds on.
Adaptation to cold climate:
The red panda coat is made up of 2 different types of hair:
fluff hair, short and fine. They play the role of insulation by trapping a layer of warm air in contact with the skin.
the jars, long and thick. They are covered with an oily secretion which makes them waterproof and allows the panda to better withstand bad weather.
He can cover his body and his muzzle with his very provided and thick tail: it then acts as a “cover”.
Thick, white hairs cover the soles of its feet: they protect them from the cold and above all allow the animal not to slip on the ice.
Geographical distribution
The red panda is present in Asia, in the Himalayan range: Bhutan, China, India, Burma, and Nepal. However, there are very little data on its exact distribution in the natural environment because the populations are very fragmented.
Habitat
The species frequents temperate mixed deciduous and coniferous forests, the undergrowth of which consists of bamboo thickets and hollow or fallen trees. It is found from 700 to 4,800 m in altitude, in humid environments whose temperature varies from 10 to 25 ° C.
Red panda diet
The red panda is omnivorous, but 95% of its diet consists of bamboo leaves. The remaining 5% consists of berries, roots, bark, fungi, seeds, lichens, small rodents, reptiles, birds, or insects.
Every day the panda consumes nearly 200,000 bamboo leaves, which represents 45% of its weight! This very specialized diet makes it entirely dependent on bamboo and largely explains its disappearance.
Its digestive system is that of a carnivore, it includes a single stomach and a short intestine. It does not effectively recover all the nutrients present in the bamboo (as would that of a herbivore). In addition, bamboo leaves are low in nutrients. The animal must therefore eat a large number of leaves to counterbalance these defects. He thus spends nearly 13 hours a day feeding!
The red panda has a slow metabolism. Its diet, which is not very nourishing, requires a lot of time to consume, which does not encourage a frantic pace of activity. This is why the red panda limits its energy expenditure as much as possible and is closer to the sloth that lives in South America.
Active especially at dawn and dusk, it spends the rest of its time at the top of the trees, well hidden in the branches covered with brown mosses and white lichens. He thus escapes the snow leopard, his greatest predator after man.
On the hottest days, you can often see it lying full length on a branch, its 4 legs hanging in the air!
Social structure
The red panda is primarily a solitary animal, although a few pairs or family groups have occasionally been seen. Generally, males and female-only stay together for a short time to mate, then separate. Each individual defends a territory whose size depends on the availability of food. That of a male varies from 1 to 9 km² and that of a female from 1 to 4 km² on average.
The territories of the females rarely overlap, on the other hand, that of a male will group together those of several females, especially in the breeding season.
The protection and the defense of the territory pass first of all by an olfactory and visual marking of its limits. Glandular secretions, urine, or feces are deposited at strategic points, at the boundaries of the domain. A panda that then presents itself at these marking “terminals” knows that the territory is already occupied and will settle elsewhere.
This species has glands in the anus and under the legs. It impregnates its scent on various substrates, simply by walking, or by rubbing itself on tree trunks, rocks, or the ground.
Red pandas communicate with each other through various vocalizations, whistles, rattles, chattering teeth, or meowing, but also through various facial expressions and postures of the body and tail. For example, when they feel attacked, they rear up on their hind legs and let out short hisses.
Red panda reproduction
This species usually breeds in winter in the wild. The majority of births take place in June-July. Gestation period: 90 to 160 days. The difference between these figures is explained by the fact that delayed implantation is observed in this species. Embryo development can be paused for 50 days before resuming and resulting in the birth of a young.
Litter size: 1 to 4 pups.
Sexual maturity: around 2 years old.
The female builds a nest with branches, grasses, and leaves which she places in a hollow trunk or a rock crevice. She usually gives birth to 2 young of 110 to 120 g each. The little ones are covered with a light beige coat which will take on its final color around 3 months. They also have their eyes closed until their 18th day.
The male does not take part in the rearing of the young. The mother spends nearly 80% of her time with them during the first week, then she leaves the nest for a few hours to feed. To be able to provide a sufficient quantity of milk to her young, she must eat 3 times more bamboo than normal. The young leave the nest around 3 months and begin feeding on solid food in the fall. They are completely weaned before winter.
The longevity of the panda is about 8 to 10 years in the wild, and 15 to 18 years in captivity.
Species protection
Today, there are less than 10,000 red pandas left in the wild. Moreover, it is estimated that within 30 years, this population will have decreased by another 10%. In China, this species has lost almost 40% of its numbers over the past 50 years.
The only natural predators encountered by this panda are the snow leopard and the yellow-throated marten which prey on the young.
The main causes of disappearance are the reduction or transformation of its habitat. The human population has doubled in size over much of the panda’s territory, causing an increase in demand for land and firewood. The forest is indeed destroyed for the exploitation of wood or oil or for conversion into agricultural land, livestock, or roads. Livestock also competes with the panda for food. As a result, the species loses its nesting and feeding sites, and its populations become fragmented and isolated from each other.
In addition, the particular development cycle of bamboo does not allow it to regenerate quickly enough after the passage of Man. The red panda is thus close to extinction in Nepal and India. The species is also hunted illegally for its skin or to make it a pet. Thus in the province of Yunnan or in Bhutan, a red panda fur hat is traditionally offered to the groom as a token of happiness.
Moreover, part of its territory is located on politically sensitive borders. This complicates the management of protection actions at the international level. Military conflicts cause the destruction of its habitat, the displacement of refugee populations, and increase the demand for poaching. In addition, the lack of data on the distribution and status of the species also contributes to its extinction. It is indeed difficult to put in place appropriate and viable conservation plans over the long term if all the parameters are not taken into account.
However, the red panda is protected by international and national laws. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified it as “Vulnerable”. In addition, it is placed in Appendix I of the Washington Convention on Trade in Endangered Fauna and Flora.
Several countries have set up protected areas in which the species enjoy relative tranquility. In China, it takes advantage of the many protected reserves that have been created to safeguard the giant panda. The major protection measures to be developed are therefore the conservation and increase of its habitat and the pursuit of scientific studies in the field and in captivity.
The little story of the red panda
This is the only park where, for the third time, red panda twins, a male, and a female, were born and were both fed by their mother. In Thoiry, the keepers and visitors saw them come out of the mother’s hut for the first time. Births of red pandas in zoos are rare and their survival in China is fragile, as their territories are increasingly inhabited by humans.
When red panda cubs first came out and looked great. The father accepted them and the whole family wandered from branch to branch.
Barely born, we think of marrying them. Depending on the genealogies and genetic analyses, the coordinator of the European breeding program, EEP, will choose their spouses to promote the greatest genetic diversity within the European population of red pandas and prepare for the reintroduction into the wild of future descendants. Provisions between parks are organized in the interest of the species and are free.
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