Red Pandas: So Squee!

Look at this little cutie!

Photo by Robert Mooney.

Red pandas (sometimes referred to as the lesser panda, the cat-bear, and the firefox) are much smaller than their giant black-and-white namesake. Once thought to be related to raccoons and bears, the small tree-dwelling mammals are actually a part of the previously thought extinct Ailuridae family.

Photo by Greg Hume.

They resemble fluffy brown/red cats with shaggy tails and a shuffling walk due to their short front legs. They spend their days sleeping and eat bamboo, bird eggs, fruit, and insects. They even clean themselves similarly to wild and domestic cats.

Photo by ryonouske. 

Although they are typically solitary animals, overlapping territories and shared resources are typical – these creatures conserve their energy, so they only cover up to 1,000 feet of their home territories within any given day, making contact and interaction with other red pandas in their area rare.

So sleepy! Photo by William Scot.

Red pandas are native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. Their population is declining due to habitat loss and poaching, with scientists unable to gauge an accurate number of the remaining population. Zoos around the world are taking part in the Red Panda Species Survival Program, housing red pandas for long-term research of the species in hopes to preserve their survival.

Watch a group of red pandas in captivity playing together in the snow.