Western scientists described red pandas 50 years before giant pandas, and named the black-and-white bear after the smaller red panda because of their shared characteristics, like a taste for bamboo and a bonus digit called a pseudothumb. While the two animals share a name and favorite food, they’re not closely related. Like giant pandas, red pandas are a bamboo-munching species native to high forests of Asia. Red pandas are the only living member of the family Ailuridae. On the occasion of the film's debut, here are eight fascinating details about these elusive animals: They Are the Only “True” Panda The movie, in truth a metaphor for adolescent pubescence and angst, comes out today on Disney+. Now, Disney’s recent release of the movie Turning Red, which tells the story of a Meilin "Mei" Lee, a 13-year-old girl who transforms into a big red panda when she feels big emotions, is likely to also spark a new wave of interest in the endangered animal. Interested in learning more about the bioregions of Indomayala? Use One Earth's interactive Navigator to explore bioregions around the world.Red pandas' adorable fluffy faces and hilarious hijinks make them fodder for all sorts of viral internet cuteness. So, continue to watch red pandas roll in the snow and fall out of trees when they sleep - this awareness could circle back into the next breath you take. As more people like and share images of red pandas across social media, conservation efforts like the Red Panda Project have seen an uptick in their outreach. Yet, their takeover of social media could be what helps them and their habitat recover. Habitat loss and fragmentation due to human development is the primary cause of their decline in population. Crucial in the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, a grove of bamboo releases 35% more oxygen than an equivalent grouping of trees.įewer than 10,000 mature red pandas live in the wild, listing them as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. With this diet, red pandas keep bamboo plants healthy which in turn helps clean our planet’s air. One study found that female red pandas ate approximately 20,000 bamboo leaves in a single day. Like the giant panda, red pandas cannot digest cellulose, so they must consume a large volume of bamboo to survive. Occasionally, their diet consists of small mammals, birds, eggs, flowers, and berries, but 95% of a red panda’s food source is bamboo. Their specialized curved, semi-retractile claws and “false thumb,” which is an extension of the wrist bone, are designed for a life among the trees and for eating bamboo. It is done to make themselves appear larger and show off the sharp claws on their front paws. The seemingly cute images of two red pandas meeting and standing on their hind legs is actually a warning, not a greeting. Otherwise, they are extremely territorial. They are solitary and quiet animals except for mating season when red pandas begin to make twittering noises to find each other. The red panda is the Iconic Species of the Himalayan Mixed Forests & Grasslands Bioregion ( IM5). Their legs are short and black with thick fur on their paws which helps them grip snow-covered and icy surfaces These bushy tails provide balance, excellent camouflage, and warmth in the winter as they use them to cover themselves like a blanket. Like raccoons, each individual red panda has distinct white markings on its face and alternating colored rings on its tail. Red pandas are about the size of a domestic house cat but with a slightly larger body and immensely thicker coat. However, like the giant panda, the name ‘panda’ is said to come from the Nepali word ponya, meaning bamboo or plant eating animal and the red panda alters its ecosystem by doing just that. Biologists previously tried placing them in both the bear and the raccoon families, but genetic testing has classified red pandas as their own distinct family, Ailuridae. Also known as the red bear-cat, red cat-bear, and lesser panda, red pandas are not related to giant pandas, cats, or bears. Native to southwestern China and the eastern Himalayas, they thrive in the conifer forests below the mountains. With soft, reddish-brown fur, a face that looks part raccoon, part teddy bear, and adorable videos of their quirky behavior going viral, red pandas are one of the most beloved species on our planet. One Earth’s “Species of the Week” series highlights an iconic species that represents the unique biogeography of each of the 185 bioreg ions of the Earth.
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