Red Panda

• Despite its name it is not closely related to the giant panda, but to skunks, raccoons and weasels.
• It lives in the trees and is largely solitary.
• Its diet is specialised on bamboo, though it also eats fruit, eggs and small mammals.
• anatomíaDespite its name it is not closely related to the giant panda, and it feeds mainly on bamboo thanks to a modified wrist bone that works as a false thumb.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)

Habitat and environment

Temperate mountain forest of the Himalaya and south-western China, rich in bamboo

Birth weight

~100-130 g at birth, blind and helpless

Size at birth

~100-130 g at birth

Sexual maturity

18-20 months (first births between 24 and 26 months)

Gestation / incubation

112-158 days (a wide variation, possibly because of delayed implantation)

Litter / clutch size

1 to 4 young per litter (average 1.7-2)

Life expectancy in captivity

Documented record of up to 19 years

Sources consulted: Wikipedia (Red panda); AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Nature Table (WordPress); ResearchGate (reproduction captivity study); Animal Diversity Web; Capron Park Zoo; The Animal Facts; Sarah Lyn Gay

The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.