10 Incredible Red Panda Facts

When you hear panda, your mind may wander straight to the popular giant panda. However, there is also the red panda, a fuzzy cat-sized mammal that lives in the high forests of the Himalayas. The red panda is classified into a family of its own, and it spends a great part of its life in trees. It may not be the most popular panda, but still, it possesses some truly remarkable traits and features. Furthermore, the red panda has been featured as a movie character, and it has an internet browser named after it. 

Here are 10 incredible facts about the red panda that will fascinate you. 

1. Red Pandas are an endangered species

We start on a not-so-bright note, but it is an important fact that these cute animals have been listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as an endangered species. According to the IUCN, the population of this species may have decreased by over 50% in the last three generations and the decline is expected to continue. The reason for this includes habitat loss and the low survival rate of the species. Furthermore, red pandas’ diet is made up largely of Himalayan bamboos, which are sensitive to environmental degradation, deforestation, fire, and overgrazing. 

2. An internet browser is named after red pandas 

Several people are aware of Mozilla Firefox but very few people realize that this internet browser is actually named after the red panda. Another name for the red panda is fire fox – when Mozilla found out it could not name the internet browser Firebird, it opted to name it after the furry red panda. Even more interesting and adorable is the fact that Mozilla adopted two red pandas in 2010. These pandas had been born at Tennessee’s Knoxville Zoo. 

You should note that Mozilla could not use Firebird as the name for the internet browser because another project was already using it at the time. 

3. There are two distinct red panda species 

Initially, it was thought that there was only one red panda species. But scientists have noted that there are actually two distinct red panda species, namely the Himalayan red panda and the Chinese red panda. In terms of physical appearance, one key difference between these two red pandas is that the Chinese red panda has darker fur than the Himalayan red panda. 

4. The red panda is more closely related to weasels than the giant panda 

You would think that because they are both named “panda” they would be closely related. However, scientists have noted that the red panda is not in the same family as the giant panda. Initially, red pandas were placed in the same family (Procyonidae) as raccoons, but eventually, they were placed in a distinct family (Ailuridae) which is more closely related to weasels and skunks than to the giant panda. 

5. Red pandas are carnivores that rarely eat meat 

The primary food of red pandas is bamboo, which would make them mostly vegetarian. This is interesting because the red panda’s biological classification makes it a carnivore, with teeth that were designed for ripping and shredding. However, their dietary preference means they would rather feed on bamboo than chase other animals. 

You should however note that from time to time, red pandas supplement their diet with meat in the form of birds and small mammals. 

6. The red panda’s digestive system is not built for its favorite food 

Red pandas love bamboo, but they have the digestive system of a carnivore. Their digestive system finds it easier to digest protein and fats rather than the carbohydrates and fibers that make up their meal.  

7. Red Pandas are born blind but cute and covered in fur

Red panda babies are born completely covered in fur to protect them from their native high altitudes and cold environment. Born this way, we have to say that they look very cute at birth. They are, however, also born blind and their eyes don’t fully open until after a month. 

Red panda babies stay with their mothers until they come of age after a year, and they may not leave their nests at all until after three months. As children, they feed on only bamboo. 

8. Red pandas are loners until they want to mate 

Red pandas are solitary animals that rarely interact with other pandas until it is mating season. Males follow female pandas around when it is time to mate. During the times that male red pandas must be social, they make use of scent glands that are odorless to humans to mark territory and inform other pandas of their presence. Another thing they do is make use of poop piles that also serve to announce their presence. 

The gestation period for red pandas after breeding season is about 4 months, after which the females give birth to 1-5 cubs. 

9. Red pandas have a false thumb 

This is one feature that red pandas have in common with giant pandas – a pseudo thumb. This appendage is called a false thumb because in truth, it is more like an extended wrist bone that helps the red panda climb and also helps it hold on to bamboo while feeding. Scientists believe that the red panda inherited this false thumb from an ancestor that was truly carnivorous but also lived in trees. Therefore, the thumb evolved to aid climbing and then became even more useful for feeding on bamboo. 

10. A red panda featured in the popular movie titled Kung Fu Panda 

Remember Sifu, the master Kung Fu teacher in the famous “Kung Fu Panda”? He is a red panda. Some may have thought that Sifu was a raccoon, and it appears that even the actor that played the character thought so. However, as the actor was told off-stage, our favorite Kung Fu master is indeed a red panda. 

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/Edwin_Butter