RED PANDA

When people talk about endangered species of bears almost every one of them will
automatically say panda, which refers to the giant panda. There are another type of panda which
is the Red Panda that is included in the endangered species list. Red Pandas is a mammals that
live in the mountains of Nepal and northern Myanmar (Burma), as well as in central China.
These species habitat is rainy and high-altitude forest. They are herbivore and their diet
contains bamboo, roots, fruits, and acorn. Red pandas can be easily identified by their unique
ruddy coat color, which acts like camouflage within the canopy of fir trees where branches are
covered with clumps of reddish-brown moss and white lichens. They can live up to 23 years but
the females do not breed after age 12, while males continue to be reproductively capable.

The Red Pandas can grow 20 to 26 inches if measured from head to body with the tails
being 12 to 20 inches long. Adult red pandas typically weigh between 8 and 17 pounds. They
have a ringed tails like raccoons so they are classified as the relative of the giant panda and
also of the raccoon. Even so the Red Panda are considered members of their own unique family
—the Ailuridae.

Red pandas scent-mark territories using anal glands and urine, as well as scent glands
located between their footpads. These scent glands on the bottom of red pandas’ feet exude a
colorless liquid that is odorless to humans. In the wild, the home range of one animal is about 1
square mile. They are very shy and solitary species except when mating. The females create a
nest in tree holes, hollow stumps, tree roots or bamboo thickets and line the nest with moss,
leaves and other soft plant material. The females normally gave birth to one to four baby that
born between May and July in the Northern Hemisphere. Red Panda are born completely
covered in fur to protect them from the cold environment and weight around 3-4 ounces. Young
red pandas remain in their nests for about 90 days, during which time their mother cares for
them and stay within the mothers care for around a year. They reach sexual maturity at around
18 months of age.

This species are endangered mainly because of the deforestation. Their natural habitat is
being destroyed by humans to spread agriculture and the logging that occurs in their habitat.
This species is often not known by people because of the focus on the giant panda, but we need
to protect this species too. They are a part of the ecosystem in our planet and they are one of
the treasure that we have here on earth.