Breeding season takes place from January through April. During this time, red pandas come together in small groups, and cubs or adults may engage in social play that includes lunging, wrestling, and biting.

Bones in their bodies help them stand, sit, and even walk. Without these bones, climbing trees is impossible. It is one of the most visible and beautiful body parts of a red panda. The ringed red and white patterns on these tails add to the red panda’s beauty. Why Do They Need Tails? Are you a student? Did you love what you learned about this animal? Make it the topic of your next school project, or start a conservation club at your school. You'll learn even more and share the importance of saving species with classmates and teachers, too.For instance, in India the biggest threat seems to be habitat loss followed by poaching, while in China the biggest threat seems to be hunting and poaching. A 40% decrease in red panda populations has been reported in China over the last 50 years, and populations in western Himalayan areas are considered to be lower. Biologically, they're a carnivore, they have teeth designed for ripping and shredding,” says Sarah Glass, the curator for red pandas at Zoo Knoxville. “But somewhere along the way, they decided bamboo doesn't run away, it's always green, it's a big grass, you can always find it—I'm going to find a way to make this work.” Sadly, due to poaching and habitat loss, the red panda has become endangered. Even the most optimistic estimates put its wild population at around 20,000 individuals. The red panda is slightly bigger than a domestic cat. Males are slightly larger than females, and can weigh up to 6.2 kg (13.7 lb.). Support from the local community is very crucial, because they are real stewards of the red panda and their habitat,” says Lama. “Every day the human population is growing, and the demand of firewood and the demand of road networks in the hills where the red panda habitat falls is growing.”

Gladston, A. R. 1994. The Red Panda, Olingos, Coatis, Raccoons, and Their Relatives. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. While the awareness of the threats to red pandas has increased dramatically over recent decades, humans and red pandas are still competing for space and resources. In addition to habitat loss, poaching is a huge threat to red pandas. Some animals are taken from the wild to be kept as pets (despite making terrible houseguests, according to experts) and others are killed for their fur. At around 3 months of age, the young develop their adult coloration. At this time they start to spend time outside the nest and to eat solid food. The cubs are weaned at around 8 months, but remain with their mother until her next litter is born. What Do Red Pandas Eat? Bamboo is low in nutrients, so red pandas have to spend a lot of their time eating. This smelly liquid also serves another purpose: Males release it to mark their territory when searching for a mate in winter and early spring. They don’t have a big window: females are only fertile for a couple of days a year. They typically give birth to one to four cubs that remain with them for about 90 days. Males take little or no interest in the cubs, leaving the cub-rearing to the mothers. Threats and conservation These threats to red pandas are compounded by climate change and natural disasters, inadequate enforcement of laws and regulations, and limited investment in red panda conservation by local governments. Red pandas have bred with some reliability in zoos throughout North America, Europe and Asia. As they decline in the wild, growing and maintaining self-sustaining populations in zoos is a high priority as a hedge against extinction and to learn more about species biology.The mandible is robust but relatively short, and the mandibular symphysis is constricted. The coronoid process is strongly hooked posteriorly, and the mandibular condyles are large. Despite its name, the red panda is not a member of the bear family and the species is not closely related to the giant panda. In fact, the red panda is the only living member of the family Ailuridae.

Red pandas will sleep for up to 17 hours a day! They have been identified as both nocturnal and crepuscular (active during twilight hours) and prefer to rest on tree branches or in tree hollows. 9. Red Pandas Sleep in their Tail They also have beautiful furs on their faces. However, the color differs between the two species of red panda – Himalayan and Chinese red panda. Red panda's activity changes throughout the year based on the temperature, feeding regimes, and the presence of young. The normally solitary A. fulgens are most active at dusk, dawn, and during the night. Movement on the ground is done by a slow, cross-extension gait, and faster bounding or trotting. Ailurus fulgens is arboreal, sleeping in nests in evergreens. They descend trees headfirst and display their flexibility as they move from branch to branch. The tail is used for balance when in trees, while on the ground it is carried straight and horizontally.Interestingly, red pandas are creatures that love to hold their food in their hands while eating. With all five fingers, they’re able to hold a bunch of bamboo leaves in their hands. Like giant pandas, red panda females are fertile for only one or two days a year and can delay implantation of a fertilized egg for weeks. Red pandas’ gestation period can be short as 93 days or as long as 156 days to ensure cubs are born when the most tender and digestible bamboo shoots and leaves are available, usually in late spring. Cubs Are Playful So how did this mammal come to be called a panda? The origin of the name “panda” is unclear. Many people believe it derives from the second part of an old Nepalese name for these animals, nigalya ponya, which may have meant something like "bamboo footed.” Another local name for the red panda is wah or chitwah. Red pandas have powerful molars for chewing on tough bamboo and are mostly vegetarians—although they are classified as carnivores. Bamboo is not a great food source for energy and is hard to digest. In fact, red pandas digest only about 24 percent of the bamboo they eat. Red pandas need to eat 20 to 30 percent of their body weight each day—about 2 to 4 pounds (1 to 2 kilograms) of bamboo shoots and leaves. In one study, female red pandas were found to eat approximately 20,000 bamboo leaves in a single day.