Amazing Facts About The World’s Cutest Animal: The Red Panda
On the roof of the world, the jagged Himalayas seems to split the sky. In their shadow, a misty and mysterious kingdom hides a little known world. It’s home to a wild cast of characters that are rarely seen and largely unstudied. In the midst of their colorful wonders, one remarkable and adorable creature stands out, the extremely rare Red Panda.
Nowhere on earth is the clash of continents more dramatic but in the Himalayas where India smashes into Asia, frosting up the highest mountain range on earth. Ten of the top fourteen tallest summits in the world scrape the sky here.
Underneath the cloud, lush mountain forests spread as far as the eye can see. They are mostly impenetrable and that proves the salvation for one of the most elusive animals in the world.
The Red Panda is also known as the Lesser Panda which was discovered in 1825, fifty years before Black and white Giant Panda. One thing the Red Panda has in common with the Giant Panda, however, is the obsession with Bamboo.
Another nickname of Red Panda is Cat Bear but they are neither Cat nor Bear, nor Racoon. In fact, Red Pandas even form their own family in the animal kingdom.
Size
The body length of the Red Panda measures 50 cm — 60 cm while its tail is 30 cm — 50 cm long. The bodyweight of the Red Panda varies from 3 Kg — 6 Kg.
Lifespan
The average age of the Red Pandas is 8–10 years, but some of them have been seen alive till the age of 15 years.
Diet
Everything about red panda is built for bamboo. In Nepali, their species name “Poonya” means Bamboo eater. From the word Poonya comes the name Panda.
Since bamboo is so tough and low in nutrients, Red Panda has to eat continuously, consuming a third of the body weight every day. When they are not eating, they are champion napper. Red pandas are the sloths of Himalayas.
As bamboo is extremely low in nutrients, they like to supplement their diet with proteins by eating small mammals, worms and eggs.
Habitat
At almost 28000 feet, chilly Kanchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world. Deep in this vast mountain kingdom, in the shadow of the Kanchenjunga (the sacred icy mountain), live the world’s cutest animals, the Red Pandas.
Red pandas are mostly found in the temperate forest of the Himalayas, which extends from Nepal to China. Its range includes Nepal, India, Bhutan, the northern region of Myanmar, and south-central China.
Reproduction
Mating
Red Pandas start looking for a mate during the mating season from January to March. Females start doing scent marking to attract a male. Timing is crucial as females are only receptive to a single day in a year.
The Female urinates over a clear fluid secreted from her anal glands to leave a tantalizing trail of scent. Male follows closely, sniffing each scent mark and adding his own scent to hers.
The male presents himself with a telltale twitter to attract the female and a hot pursuit begins. Finally males get a grip and start to lick and groom the female. Mating lasts for up to 20 minutes and it’s more gentle than the noisy neck biting affairs of the cat family.
After this brief interlude, female and the male go back to their usual solitary lives. If the female conceives, she gives birth in around five months.
Nest Building
Several weeks before birth, the female starts building a nest inside a hollow trunk or rock crevices. She now spends most of her time picking twigs and leaves and ferrying them back into the nest. It is a laborious and tiring process.
More than a meter deep inside the hollow trunk, she carefully arranges nest material to make a round depression that will support her curled body. She gradually builds up a thick snug bed.
A spongy layer may provide a base to soak up any rain so that she and her future cub stay warm and dry. As the birth time approaches, she now has to eat for up to 14 hours a day to keep her energy level up.
Cub Care
After five months of the gestation period, the female gives birth to blind and deaf cubs. Baby Red Pandas weigh only around 120 grams. Normally Red Pandas give birth to one or two cubs and occasionally three cubs.
For the first few days after birth, the mother hardly leaves the nest. She wraps her furry tail to protect baby Red Pandas and start licking from head to tail. Licking stimulates its circulation and helps mother and baby to bond.
Baby Red Panda opens their eyes after 18–20 days. Babies remain inside the nest for the next three months and do not wean for eight. After three months, baby Red Pandas acquire full adult fur and color and begin to explore the outside world.
Threats & Conservation
The worst threat to the world’s cutest animal than predators is poaching. Their soft warm fur is in-demand for hats and coats, a lucrative business.
Most of the victims end up in china and the booming economy means people can afford such ill-gotten luxury. In the past fifty years, Red Panda’s numbers are fallen by half. It’s unlikely that there are even 10,000 Red Pandas still alive today.
Conservationist scientists are constantly struggling for the protection of the Red Panda. They install camera traps in the places where the Pandas regularly visit. Camera traps help researchers to find out the number of animals in that area and catch poachers red-handed.
But even the poaching pales beside the greatest threat of all, deforestation and fragmentation of mountain forest habitats. Along with the growing human population, the avaricious demand for firewood and construction materials has increased.
In the year 2008, the Red Panda is listed as endangered creatures in the Red List of IUCN. In order to provide protection to these beautiful animals, several protected areas have been established in countries such as China (35), India (20), Nepal, Bhutan (5), and Myanmar (26).
Originally published at https://www.secretwildlife.online on July 23, 2020.
