RED PANDAS ARE BEAUTIFUL NOW

Long red and beige ringed bushy tails help red pandas to balance in the treetops.

Adult red pandas weigh between 8.2 and 13.7 pounds (3.7 to 6.2 kg). Their bodies are 22 to 24.6 inches (56 to 62.5 cm) long, with their tails adding another 14.6 to 18.6 inches (370 to 472 cm) in length. Males and females look the same.

Bamboo constitutes 85 to 95% of the red panda's diet. They eat only the most nutritious leaf tips and tender shoots, unlike giant pandas, which eat the whole bamboo plant.

Both giant and red pandas have special wrist bone which acts as an opposing thumb, helping them to grasp the bamboo stalks as eat. Red pandas also eat grasses, fallen fruits, insects, and grubs. Sometimes they eat birds and small mammals.

Red pandas breed from January through March in the Northern Hemisphere and in June-August in the Southern Hemisphere. Late spring births are timed so that their babies have access to the most tender and digestible new growth bamboo shoots and leaves. There are usually 2 cubs per litter.

Red pandas can live up to 22 years. However, they are endangered. The primary threats they face are habitat loss and degradation, human interference and poaching. Although they are legally protected in India, Bhutan, China, Nepal and Myanmar, they are still at risk. The total population of red pandas has declined by 50% over past 20 years and it is expected to continue.

Part of the difficulty in conserving red panda habitats is because these red furballs require a specific set of circumstances: proximity to water sources, good forest cover and altitude, and sufficient bamboo supplies.

The Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute have been at the forefront of red panda conservation, developing new reproductive technologies to preserve sperm and egg DNA for future breeding and reintroduction to the wild programs. More than 100 surviving cubs have been born here since 1962. Help support them here.

The Red Panda Network is a community-based effort that partners with local non-profits and community organizations in important red panda conservation programs. Help support them here.

The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. There are red pandas at several of the parks in New York City that WCS manages, including the Bronx Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, and Central Park Zoo. Help support them here.

Read more about Beautiful Reds in Beautiful Reds Spark Beautiful Ideas & Images Now.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Julie Larsen Mahr. Courtesy of Wildlife Conservation Society. Red Panda Cubs.
2. Image: by Mathias Appel. “Red Panda.”
3. Image: by Abby Wood. Courtesy of Smithsonian's National Zoo. “Smithsonian's National Zoo Red Panda Rusty.”
4. Image: by Mathias Appel. “Red Panda.”
5. Image: by Lyn. “Red Panda.”
6. Image: by Mark Dumont. “Inspecting the Bamboo.”
7. Image: by Su-May. “Red Panda.”
8. Image: by Jason Barles. “Red Panda.”
9. Image: by Helen Haden. “Red Panda.”
10. Image: by Andy. “Red Panda.”
11. Image: by Janice Sveda. Courtesy of Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. Newborn Red Panda Cub.
12. Image: by ogwen. “Red Panda.”
13. Image: by Mathias Appel. “Red Panda.”
14. Image: by Mehgan Murphy. Courtesy of Smithsonian's National Zoo. “National Zoo Red Panda Meets New Mate.”
15. Image: by David Evans. Courtesy of Red Panda Network. “Chester Zoo - Baby Red Panda.”
16. Image: by Sheena Kalemkiewicz. Courtesy of Wildlife Conservation Society. Zhu.
17. Image: by Mathias Appel. “Red Panda.”
18. Image: by Anirban Biswas. “Red Panda.”
19. Image: by BN App - Download now!
20. Image: by Dave Gunn. “Red Panda.”