Panda vs Red Panda: What's the Difference?
A red panda is a small reddish-brown animal with a ringed tail. It isn’t a bear, and it is more closely related to raccoons, weasels and skunks. 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.
Quick answers
They differ on 2 of the 8 quick answers: dangerous, awake when.
| Question | Panda | Red panda |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Mammal | Mammal |
| Carnivore? | No, herbivore | No, herbivore |
| Dangerous? differs | Can be | No |
| Domesticated? | No | No |
| Awake when? differs | Day & night | Night |
| Hibernates? | No | No |
| Kept as a pet? | No | No |
| Do people eat it? | No | No |
At a glance
| Question | Panda | Red panda |
|---|---|---|
| Found in | Asia | Asia |
| Habitat | Forest, Mountains | Forest, Mountains |
| Size differs | Large | Small |
| Length differs | 1.2–1.9 m | 51–63.5 cm, plus a 28–48.5 cm tail |
| Weight differs | 100–115 kg | 3.2–15 kg |
| Legs | 4 | 4 |
| Covered in | Fur | Fur |
| Lives | Alone | Alone |
| Lives for differs | 20 years | 8–14 years |
| Can fly | No | No |
| Swims differs | Yes | No |
| Lays eggs | No | No |
About each
Panda
A black-and-white bear found only in the mountains of central China. It belongs to the carnivore order but lives almost entirely on bamboo, which makes up about 99% of its diet.
Red panda
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.
Everything on the red panda page
Sources
Last reviewed . The answers and notes come from each animal's own page, where every source is listed.
How each answer is decided: How we answer. More look-alikes: Commonly confused animals.