RED PANDAS: Ailurus fulgens

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Common Names:Lesser Panda, Panda Bear, Red Panda

Description:The pelage is a reddish- orange on the body. Their ears and eyes are white with black "tear drops" running from the eyes to the thoat. They have a long bushy tail with black and white rings around the tip of the tail. There is no outward difference between the males and the females. They have a modified wrist bone, radial sesmoid bone, that has been adapted to their diet of bamboo. Average adult weight is about 5.0kg.

Fossil Record: Fossil remains seem to indicate a relationship to the Procyonidae family (raccon). The orgins of the relatives of Ailurus seemed to have originated in Pakistan and Western Europe and than radiating out. An animal, Sivanasua seems to be the earliest ailurine. It lived in the Upper Miocene in Europe and the Lower Pliocene of Asia. Paralurus, an extinct panda lived in the Lower Pliocene ( 3-4 million yrs ago) lived in Europe and North America. Ailurus shows similar cranial and dental morphology to Paralurus. The intermediate forms between Paralurus and Ailurus are not known. The red panda is smaller in size than Paralurus.

Introduction to the Western World:

Range: There are two sub-species of red panda. A. f. fulgens, lives in the Himalayas and A. f. styani, is slightly larger and is found in southwestern China in Sichaun and Yunnan, and in northern Burma.

Habitat: Red pandas can be found at altitudes between 3,000 and 12,000 feet in temperate forests of the Himalayan area that have dense bamboo growth. They are mainly nocteral, spending the daylight hours sleeping. They are solitary animals that have an exclusive territory, only seeking others out during the mating season.

Diet: They feed almost exclusively bamboo, about 95% of their diet consists on bamboo. The remaining 5% of their diet consists of fruit, berries or seeds. They occasionally eat small animals and bird eggs.

Reproduction: Mating season is between early January and mid-March. The average period for gestation is 134 days. Seveal days before birth the mother will start to build a nest of sticks and leaves in a enclosed structure such as a hollow tree trunk. The average litter size is from 1 to 4 cubs. Birth weight is 110 to 130 g. They are born without fur that lack the adult coloration. They are weaned by 12 months after birth. Red pandas obtain adult growth at about 12 month and reach sexual maturity between 18 months.

Life Span:The maximum life span for a captive red panda is 14 years with 8-10 the average age. The average life span in the wild is not known.

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This page was created by Christina Bergner on March 4, 1997. Last Modified March 8,1997