Red panda
From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science
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The red panda is an Asian mammal usually classified under the procyonidae (racoon) family. However, a lot of experts classify it under either the ursidae (bear) family or its own separate family Ailuridae. After recent DNA research, scientists have classified the red panda in the superfamily Musteloidea.[1]
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Anatomy
The red panda is a little bigger than the common house cat. It has long, soft, reddish-brown fur on most of its body, but on its belly and legs the fur is black. Thick fur on the bottom of its feet offers protection from the cold and hides scent glands.[2] It has long white whiskers and a long ringed tail that is about 1 1/2 feet long. It is approximately 2 feet long and weighs about 12 pounds. The red panda's "thumb" is really an enlarged wrist bone. Its claws are only able to partly retract. It has wide teeth and strong jaws, which they need in order to chew bamboo.[3]
Reproduction
The mating season of the red panda is between the months of January and March. In these months each female goes into estrus (heat) for 14 days. The males fight over the right to mate with the females. They begin the fight by arching their backs and lowering their heads. Then they stand up on their hind legs and beat each other with their paws. Just before the female gives birth she makes a nest in a hollow tree or rock cleft with grass. There is a 90-150 day gestation period, with births happening in May and June. The litter ranges from 1 to 4 cubs. They are born blind, but are able to see 18 days after birth. In order to produce enough milk for her babies the mother eats 3 times more bamboo than normal. After being born 90 days the young cub leaves the nest for the first time. The young is full grown at 1 year old and becomes sexually mature 6 months later. Both males and females are able to reproduce until they are 12 years old. They live about 17.5 years in captivity, but in the wild they only live between 8 and 10 years.[4]
Ecology
The subspecies, A.F. fulgens, lives in southern Tibet as far as the Brahmaputra River and in the Himalayan mountains. The other sub-species, A.F. slyani, lives to the east of the Brahmaputra River and in the Yunnan provinces in southwest China. The red panda generally lives in deciduous and coniferous forests. They are found at elevations between 2,000-4,800m. They are actually hard to find because they are usually high in branches or covered in a red-brown moss. The moss acts as a good camouflage, and they blend in with the branches real well.[5] Red pandas are very territorial creatures. Their homes can range from 0.9km to 1.1km. The red pandas are solitary creatures that are more active during the night and the twilight. During the day they spend time lounging in their nests. The red panda is a very flexible creature and can move easily from one branch to another, using its tail for balance while climbing. Red pandas communicate by short squeals and whistles. When they get scared or upset they hiss and stand on their hind legs.[6] The red panda's diet mainly consists of bamboo, fruit, grasses, acorns, roots, eggs, and small animals such as insects, small rodents, and young birds.[7]
Other names
Its name comes from a Himalayan language, possibly from Nepal. One theory of the meaning of panda is that it is an anglicisation of poonya. Poonya means "eater of bamboo". Thomas Hardwicke introduced the name Wah to Europe in 1821. He named it Wah because of the sounds and cries it makes. Its other names are: Bear-cat, Bright Panda, Cat-bear, Common Panda, Fire Fox, Fox Bear, Lesser Panda, Nigalya Ponya, Panda Chico, Panda Éclatant, Panda Rojo, Petit Panda, Poonya, Crimson Ngo, Red Cat-bear, Sankam, Thokya, Wokdonka, Woker, and Ye.[8]
Gallery
 picture of red panda taken at dublin zoo |
 head shot of a red panda |
 red panda, Ailurus fulgens sleeping on a tre branch |
 Red panda at milwaukee public zoo |
 a picture of a red panda taken at memphis zoo |
Related References
- Red Pandas
- red panda enchanted learning
- Red panda, Ailurus fulgens
- Red Panda wikipedia
