Mammals
Red panda
Ailurus fulgens
The red panda is a small tree-dwelling mammal with a thick rusty coat and a long ringed tail, living in the bamboo forests of the Himalayas. Despite its name it is not related to the giant panda: it belongs to a family all of its own.
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In short
The red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is a species with IUCN conservation status EN (Endangered). It lives in temperate coniferous and broadleaf forests with a dense bamboo understorey across Nepal, India, Bhutan, China and Myanmar. Animals in Black offers a fine-art portrait of it on a black background, available as a print on Hahnemühle paper: view the print.
Habitat & conservation
Where does the red panda live?
It lives in temperate coniferous and broadleaf forests with a dense bamboo understorey across Nepal, India, Bhutan, China and Myanmar. It is a true specialist: it feeds almost entirely on young bamboo leaves and shoots and depends completely on these high-altitude woods.
Is the red panda endangered?
The IUCN Red List rates it Endangered (EN), with fewer than 10,000 declining mature individuals. The main threats are habitat loss and fragmentation from roads and infrastructure, livestock overgrazing, poaching and illegal trade, plus attacks by domestic dogs and disease.
Facts about the red panda
- It has a 'false thumb', an extended wrist bone, to grip bamboo.
- It is not related to the giant panda: it forms a family of its own (Ailuridae).
- Its long ringed tail works as a balance aid and a blanket against the cold.
- Although a carnivore by classification, its diet is almost all bamboo.
Data source: IUCN Red List · WWF
RED List
Conservation status codes
- EX Extinct No individuals survive.
- EW Extinct in the wild Survives only in captivity.
- CR Critically endangered Extremely high risk of extinction.
- EN Endangered Very high risk of extinction.
- VU Vulnerable High risk of extinction.
- NT Near threatened Likely to become threatened soon.
- LC Least concern Low risk of extinction.
- DD Data deficient Not enough data to assess.
- NE Not evaluated Not yet assessed by the IUCN.