LegoLover Posted January 5, 2006 Posted January 5, 2006 Has anyone heard of them? They're my favorite animals. They're alos endangered because of destruction of forests. >:( Aren't they adorable. *wub* Quote
Lost Viking Posted January 5, 2006 Posted January 5, 2006 They are really cute! I have never heard of them before. Quote
Evil Willy Posted January 5, 2006 Posted January 5, 2006 Yes I have heard of them a lot...Im sort of an animal freak..I watch Discovery alot..and nat G and stuff so yes I knew of them and they are very interesting animals indeed..Did you know they were not related to giant pandas?(The normal black and white ones) Quote
Ickelpete Posted January 5, 2006 Posted January 5, 2006 Ive seen some in a zoo there not as big as I thought they would be. The zoo was re-introducing them into the wild. Quote
Darth_Ewok Posted January 6, 2006 Posted January 6, 2006 Has anyone heard of them?They're my favorite animals. They're alos endangered because of destruction of forests. >:( Aren't they adorable. *wub* AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWW!!!!!! *satis* *wub* *wub* *satis* Sweeeet :-D Quote
LegoLover Posted January 6, 2006 Author Posted January 6, 2006 The Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens Latin "fire colored cat") or Lesser Panda, is a mostly herbivorous cat-sized (60 cm long) mammal. Its classification is uncertain. It was formerly classified in the raccoon family (Procyonidae), but now many experts, including Wilson and Reeder (1993), classify it as a member of the bear family (Ursidae) or in its own family the Ailuridae. The most recent DNA research places the Red Panda in its own family, within the superfamily Mustelidae. It is not closely related to bears, but more so to the mustelid, skunk and procyonid families. It is native to the Himalayas and southern China. A handful of fossils have also been discovered in North America. Its Western name is taken from a Himalayan language, possibly Nepalese, but its meaning is uncertain. One theory is that "panda" is an anglicisation of "poonya", which means "eater of bamboo". The Red Panda is also commonly known as the Wah because of its distinctive cry. This name was given to it by Thomas Hardwicke, when he introduced it to Europeans in 1821. Like the Giant Panda, it eats large amounts of bamboo. The Red Panda, however, has a digestive system more suited to a carnivorous diet and cannot digest cellulose, so it must consume a large volume of bamboo to survive. Its diet also includes fruit, roots, acorns, and lichen, and Red Pandas are known to supplement their diet with young birds, eggs, small rodents, and insects on occasion. Captive Red Pandas readily eat meat. Red Pandas are excellent climbers and forage largely in trees. The Red Panda does little more than eat and sleep due to its low-calorie diet. The Red Panda has semi-retractile claws and a "false thumb", really an extension of the wrist bone. Thick fur on the soles of the feet offers protection from cold and hides scent glands. A popularity boom in Japan for the species has occurred due to red pandas at two different zoos being able to stand bipedal (see below). Adults are largely solitary and mainly nocturnal. Females give birth to litters of one to four young (most often two) between mid-May and mid-July. The young, born fully-furred, blind, and helpless, are weaned at five months of age. Sexual maturity occurs at age 18 Quote
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