Week 4: Panda life

RED PANDA 

WELCOME TO MY BLOG :)

What do you know about the red panda? 

The red panda is dwarfed by the black and white giant it shares a name with. It is usually the size of a domestic cat, although its large, bushy tail adds 18 inches to its body. It uses its ringed tail as a blanket to wrap itself up on the cold mountain tops.

The red panda shares habitat (high-altitude jungles) with the giant panda, although it is more widespread. It is found in the mountains of Nepal and northern Burma, as well as in the central regions of China.

This animal spends most of its time in the trees, where it even sleeps. It is usually more active at night, at dusk and dawn, when it goes out in search of food.

Red pandas love bamboo, although unlike their giant brother, they also eat fruits, acorns, roots and eggs. They also have a very developed wrist bone, it looks like a thumb, which allows them to hold on to trees more easily.

They are shy and solitary animals except during the mating season. Females usually have young in spring and summer, usually between one and four. The young pandas stay in their den for up to 90 days, while their mothers take care of them. The males are hardly interested in their offspring.

The red panda has given scientists many headaches when it comes to classifying them. It has been considered a relative of the giant panda but also of the raccoon, with whom it shares its ringed tail. Currently, they have been classified as members of their own family (Ailuridae)

The red panda is threatened, a victim of deforestation. Their habitat is shrinking due to deforestation and agriculture.

Tell me, did you already know about red panda?