Red Panda

So, you've heard of that highly endangered bear species that's only found in Beijing. But, have you come accross with another species with the similar name that are also at the verge of extinction? The Red Panda is a shy, long-tailed mammal that lives in cold, high-altitude mountain forests in Nepal, Burma and central China. Also known as the Lesser Panda, it is the size of a house cat. This endangered species is more closely related to raccoons than to Giant Pandas. They are most active in the early morning and late afternoon spending most of the day resting in trees conserving their energy as their bamboo diet has a low energy content.

Although classed as a carnivore, their diets are mainly bamboo shoots, grass and fruit with the occasional egg, insect or small animals. In captivity Red Pandas can live up to 14 years but it is not known how long they live in the wild. They reach sexual maturity at around a year old.

Here are some interesting facts:

• The Chinese name for red panda is hunho or firefox, due to their colour and similar size to a fox.

• Like giant pandas, red pandas have an extra 'thumb' which is simply an enlarged bone.

• 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.

Habitat destruction is the main threat to the red panda. China and Nepal have rapidly growing human populations and their need for timber, fuel and grazing land causes widespread losses of forested land that supports bamboo undergrowth. Even in national parks and reserves, livestock grazing and timber extraction are destroying bamboo at an alarming rate. Young pandas are killed by domestic and feral dogs, while poachers hunt them for the fur and pet trades. While bamboo flowerings, which cause large areas of bamboo to die, have been a cause of concern, man-made factors are a greater concern for the long-term survival of the species.