The famous firefox that gives its name to a well-known browser is not a red-haired fox, (although the one in the browser's logo is a fox) nor is it a raccoon, but rather belongs to the ailuridae family. And his real name is red panda or lesser panda(Ailurus fulgens). The confusion that this little animal produces when it comes to cataloging it is not surprising because it belongs to a family made up of mostly extinct species and because, in the past, it was included in the group of procyonids, to which the raccoon does belong, and also within that of the ursids.
That is, bears, raccoons and pandas all have a common ancestor. Find out in this article on our site red panda trivia below.
Is omnivore
One of the main curiosities of the red raccoon, or red panda, is that it is an adorable mammal that is omnivorous, although mostly herbivorous. The red panda shares with the giant panda its preference for bamboo as a staple food, although our friend firefox is much more versatile when it comes to food, supplementing his diet with eggs and baby birds Insects and some rodents can also be part of your menu.
Discover other omnivorous animals here with more than 40 examples and characteristics so you can have more information on the subject.
The mask sets them apart
The red panda is small in size, similar to that of a domestic cat. Its appearance is very characteristic because it has a mask on its face that inevitably reminds us of its relatives, the raccoons. This mask is different in the different species or specimens, so it is a highly personalized feature. In addition, the red panda also has a ringed tail which also creates confusion in case it is a raccoon.
Two Kinds of Red Panda
There are two subspecies of lesser panda: the western red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) and the red panda styans (Ailurus fulgens styani). The western red panda has a less marked mask on the face and is slightly smaller in size. Unlike their relatives, the raccoons, red pandas have darker fur on the abdomen area than on the rest of the body.
It is a vulnerable species
Despite being less constrained than its closest relative, the giant panda, the lesser panda is a vulnerable species, the stage prior to being considered in danger of extinction, since there are only approximately 10,000 copies left.
In the case of the red panda, its greatest threat is not reproductive problems but the destruction of its habitat natural. They also blame the effects of poaching They naturally inhabit the bamboo forests of Tibet, Bhutan, the Chinese provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan and the Northwest India.
They are great sleepers
Red pandas usually spend the day dozing in the treetops, becoming active at dusk, when they busily search for more food. It might seem that the red panda is a lazy animal, but what happens is that it cannot digest cellulose, and since its diet consists largely of leaves and bamboo shoots, its adaptation is to have a slow metabolism.
Still, a medium-sized red raccoon may need to eat around 3 kg of bamboo leaves and shoots per day yes do not eat other more caloric foods.
They are not social animals
They are not usually very sociable when they are not in the reproductive period, at most they can find small groupsof a mother with her offspring already grown outside the mating season. However, except when feeling threatened, red pandas are quite friendly Many people wonder if red pandas are aggressive, and the answer is no. They are not aggressive animals by nature, far from it.
They don't have thumbs
Red pandas don't have opposable thumbs proper, but they do have a long wrist bone that makes it easier for them to grasp to the branches and to take the food to the mouth, as it happens with the giant panda. The red panda has semi-retractable claws reminiscent of those of felines.
Check your temperature
They use their ringed tail to provide themselves with warmth in the cold months of winter in the high mountains. And it is that the red panda needs a temperature between 10 ºC and 25 ºC to feel comfortable. The tail also helps them balance when they move through the treetops, where they are really skilled.
They are shy animals
Lesser pandas are shy and elusive little animals that when they feel threatened and there is no escape they adopt a bipedal posture in an attempt to appear larger and more intimidating. It is a behavior studied by ethologists, although when we see it, it actually arouses tenderness in us.
If you want to know other bipedal animals with examples and characteristics, don't miss this other article on our site that we present to you.
The males give off odor
In the mating season, the males usually mark their territory by rubbing against the treesan abdominal gland that secretes an odorous substance. They may also rub their genitals or use urine for marking.
It is not uncommon for a male or female to be with more than one partner during the same mating season Copulation takes place in the soil and the young reach their adult size at around 12 months of age, although they will not be sexually mature until they are 18 months old.
They have feline behaviors
We have already seen that the red panda or red raccoon has claws very similar to those of felines. In addition to this physical trait, they also share some similar behaviors with this species, since the red panda washes its face with saliva and a paw as if it were a pussycat in question.
They live longer in captivity
The lifespan of a red panda is nearly doubled in captivity. In the wild, the normal thing is that the specimens do not exceed 8 or at most 10 years. In captivity, the average life expectancy of specimens is fourteen years.
Currently captive breeding programs are being carried out in an attempt to curb the threat to the species. In any case, if the destruction of its natural habitat continues, the future of the species is not at all hopeful. It is not an adaptable animal like its cousins the boreal raccoons.
They are great communicators
Regarding communication with their peers they have a whole repertoire of actions such as:
- Raise tail
- Arch your back
- Assume standing position
- Head movements accompanied by sounds
They are not the same as raccoons
The difference between the red panda and the raccoon is that they do not belong to the same family Initially, the red panda was classified within of the family of panda bears, although later it was modified. The red raccoon belongs to its only species.
It is more than obvious that the similarities between the red panda and the giant panda do not exist and they only share the name. Perhaps one thing they really do have in common is their devotion to bamboo canes.
They have the same coat color
Although we have been able to see that there are differences between the two subspecies of red pandas when it comes to the intensity of their fur, both females as the males have the same reddish fur color. In this way, there is no sexual dimorphism between one and the other in terms of coat and size.
