A small, reddish-brown tree-climber of the eastern Himalayas and south-western China, with a ringed tail. Despite the name it’s closer to raccoons, weasels and skunks than to the giant panda, which is a bear.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?No, herbivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Night
Red pandas appear to be both nocturnal and crepuscular, active at night and around dawn and dusk.
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inAsia
HabitatForest, Mountains
ColoursRed, Brown, White
SizeSmall
Length51–63.5 cm, plus a 28–48.5 cm tail
Weight3.2–15 kg
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives alone
Lives for8–14 years
In the wild
- Where it lives
- The eastern Himalayas and south-western China.
- What it eats
- Mainly bamboo shoots and leaves.
- Conservation
- Endangered (IUCN Red List)
Did you know
Not related to the giant panda, and it has a false thumb for gripping bamboo.
Often confused with
- Panda
The giant panda is a bear. The red panda is small, red and long-tailed, and not closely related, though both have a “false thumb” for gripping bamboo.
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