Red Panda Facts for Kids

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Scientific name is Ailurus Fulgens
Red Pandas live in Sichuan and Yunnan provinces of China, Himalayas, Myanmar (Burma) and Nepal.
Red Pandas were classified in the Procyonidae (raccoon) and Ursidae (bear) families but are now classified in their own family called Ailuridae.
There are two sub-species: Western Red Panda and Styan’s Red Panda.

What do Red Panda’s Look Like?

Red Pandas are reddish-brown in color with bushy tails. Their reddish-brown fur acts as camouflage in the trees that they live in. They are 20-23 inches long. They are similar in size to a house cat. Their tails are 11-23 inches long. They weigh between 12-20 pounds. Red Pandas have sharp claws that they use for climbing trees.

Red Pandas are arboreal (they spend most of their time in trees) mammals. They are herbivores. Their diet consist mostly of bamboo. They will sometimes eat berries, flowers and bird eggs.
On average Red Pandas spend 13 hours a day eating!
Red Pandas are nocturnal and crepuscular. Nocturnal means you mainly sleep during the day and are active at night. Red Pandas are crepuscular meaning they are most active during dusk and dawn.
Red Pandas have a lifespan of approximately 8-12 years in the wild and 15 years in captivity.
They are shy and solitary animals, they mostly stay to themselves except during mating time.

A mother Red Panda gives birth to her cub after 134 days.
Babies are usually born in holes inside trees.
The mother’s den is usually high up in the trees to protect them from predators.

Red Pandas are endangered mostly due to deforestation meaning their habitat is disappearing.
There are approximately 2,500 adult Red Pandas left in the wild.
Snow Leopards and Wild Dogs are predators to the Red Panda.

You can see Red Panda’s at many zoo’s across the U.S. The picture below was taken at the Red Panda exhibit at the Bronx Zoo.