The lesser or red panda is the sole member of the raccoon family to live only outside of America.

Distribution area and habitat

The lesser panda inhabits the mountainous woodland in the west of China and the southern slopes of the Himalayas. It roams up to heights of 4,000 meters, generally not venturing below 1,800 meters.

Appearance, size and weight

The lesser panda’s thick fur is reddish-brown on its back and sides, whilst its stomach is a dark colour. Its bushy tail is up to 50 centimetres long with red and yellow rings. The red panda has white markings on its face, similar to the raccoon. Its ears are pointed and its curved, sharp claws are partially retractable. In size it resembles a powerful cat.As the lesser panda also has a kind of extra “thumb”, some zoologists categorize it in a separate family together with the bamboo bear.

Diet

Just like its larger cousin, the lesser panda also feeds mainly on bamboo. However, its diet also includes fruit, roots, lichen, eggs, baby birds, insects and small rodents.Way of lifeWith the exception of the mating period, these members of the raccoon family, which are active at night and twilight, are usually loners. They like to sleep away the hours when the midday sun is at its hottest in shady tree tops or tree hollows. Red pandas use fixed routes for feeding and drinking within their territory which they mark with a strong-smelling secretion from their anal gland.

Social behaviour and reproduction

During the reproductive period, the males attract the females with high, twittering calls. After successful copulation the female gives birth to one to four cubs after a gestation period of 112-158 days. The young are deposited in a tree hollow or rock crevice padded with grass. The pandas become sexually mature when they are two to three years old.

Status

The red panda is considered an endangered species. There is, however, no definite data on population numbers.