|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
Red Panda
From TheBestLinks.com
(Redirected from Ailurus fulgens)
Status: Endangered
| <tr><td align="center">
photo © 2000 John White
<tr><th bgcolor=pink>Scientific classification
<tr><td>
<tr><td>Kingdom:<td>Animalia
<tr><td>Phylum:<td>Chordata
<tr><td>Class:<td>Mammalia
<tr><td>Order:<td>Carnivora
<tr><td>Family:<td>Ursidae
<tr><td>Genus:<td>Ailurus
<tr><td>Species:<td>fulgens
</table>
<tr><th bgcolor=pink>Binomial name
<tr><td align="center">Ailurus fulgens
Cuvier, 1825
</table>
The Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens; Chinese: 小熊貓; pinyin: xiǎo xióng māo), is a mostly vegetarian cat-sized (60 cm long) mammal, formerly classified in the bear family (Ursidae), but now classified as a member of the raccoon family (Procyonidae). It is native to the Himalayas and southern China. Fossil evidence suggests that it once also existed in North America.
Its Western name is taken from a Himalayan language, possibly Nepalese, but its meaning is uncertain. One theory is that "panda" is an anglicization of "poonya", which means "eater of bamboo". Its Chinese name means "little panda," named after the Giant Panda. It is also commonly known as the Firefox and, because of its distinctive cry, the Wah.
Like the Giant Panda, it eats large amounts of bamboo, but its diet also includes fruit, roots, acorns, and lichen, and captive Red Pandas readily eat meat. Red Pandas are excellent climbers, and forage largely in trees. Since the Red Panda mainly eats bamboo, it has a low-calorie diet which causes it to not do much more than eat and sleep.
The red panda has a digestive system more suited to a carnivorous diet, and cannot digest cellulose, meaning that it must eat a great deal of bamboo to survive. Red pandas are known to supplement their diet with young birds, eggs, small rodents and insects on occasion.
The Red panda has semi-retractile claws and a "false thumb", really an extension of the wrist bone. Thick fur on the soles of the feet offers protection from cold, and also hides scent glands.
Adults are largely solitary and mainly nocturnal. Females give birth to litters of one to four young (most often two) between mid-May and mid-July. The young are born fully-furred, but blind and helpless, and are weaned at five months of age. Sexual maturity occurs at age 18–20 months.
The species is endangered, largely because of habitat loss, though there is also some illegal hunting.
There are two subspecies of red panda: Ailurus fulgens fulgens and Ailurus fulgens styani. A.f. fulgens is a little smaller and its facial fur is much lighter; its range covers Nepal, Tibet, the Indian states of Assam and Sikkim, Bhutan and China. A.f. styani has more pronounced facial markings; it is restricted to northern Myanmar and some areas of China. The red panda depicted in the photo seems to be A.f. fulgens.
External links
da:Rød panda
de:Kleiner Panda
pl:Panda_mała
fr:Panda rouge
nl:Kleine panda
Related links
Top visited 0 of 0 links
[no links posted yet]
>> place link >>
Discussion
Last posted 0 of 0 messages
[no messages posted yet]
>> post message >>
Watch
You can add this article to your own "watchlist" and receive e-mail notification about all changes in this page.
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
