Zoo Biofacts Bag Red Panda

Question 1

Q: Red panda range

Answer 1

A: Eastern Himalayas and southwestern China

Question 2

Q: Red panda habitat

Answer 2

A: Temperate forests between 4,900 and 13,000 ft altitude. Deciduous and coniferous forests with bamboo understory, hollow trees, and nearby water.

Question 3

Q: Red panda niche

Answer 3

A: Arboreal, primarily folivorous, primarily nocturnal (active from dusk to dawn)

Question 4

Q: Red panda wild diet

Answer 4

A: 98% bamboo, plus some eggs, birds, insects, and small mammals

Question 5

Q: Red panda zoo diet

Answer 5

A: Bamboo and primate chow

Question 6

Q: Red panda lifespan (in wild and captivity)

Answer 6

A: (Wild) 8–10 years; (Captivity) 15 avg, up to 23 (-RPN)

Question 7

Q: Red panda sexual dimorphism

Answer 7

A: None

Question 8

Q: Red panda length (without tail)

Answer 8

A: 22–25 inches

Question 9

Q: Red panda tail length

Answer 9

A: 15–19 inches

Question 10

Q: Red panda weight

Answer 10

A: 7–14 lbs

Question 11

Q: Red panda coloration and pelt

Answer 11

A: Long reddish-brown fur on upper parts, blackish fur on lower parts, lighter face with tear markings, red and buff ringed tail, dense wooly undercoat, black legs, white fur on soles of feet, thick fur for insulation and camouflage

Question 12

What does the scientific name Ailurus fulgens mean?

Answer 12

“Fire-colored cat.”

Question 13

What family do red pandas belong to?

Answer 13

Ailuridae. They have their own family.

Question 14

What animals are red pandas most closely related to?

Answer 14

Mustelidae (raccoons, otters, weasels, and skunks), not giant pandas.

Question 15

Where does the name “panda” come from and what does it mean? What does the Chinese word for panda mean?

Answer 15

From the Nepali word “ponya,” meaning bamboo or plant-eating animal.
The Chinese word for panda translates to “bear cat”

Question 16

Which panda species was discovered first by Westerners?

Answer 16

The red panda, nearly 50 years before the giant panda.

Question 17

How many subspecies of red pandas are there and what are their names?

Answer 17

Two: A. f. fulgens (Himalayan red panda) and A. f. styani (Chinese red panda).

Question 18

What are the key differences between A. f. fulgens and A. f. styani?

Answer 18

A. f. styani (Chinese) is larger with darker fur, more pronounced skull features, a redder facemask, and more distinct tail rings. A. f. fulgens (Himalayan) has lighter face with tear markings under eyes.

Question 19

What adaptations help red pandas chew bamboo?

Answer 19

Broad skull with strong jaw muscles and 38 teeth, including sharp canines and incisors (for tearing leaves), and flat molars.

Question 20

How does red panda coloration help them survive?

Answer 20

Reverse countershading. Black on ventral side, reddish brown + white on dorsal side. It provides camouflage against red moss, dark branches, and white lichen.

Question 21

What adaptation do red panda feet have for cold and climbing?

Answer 21

Dense white fur on soles for warmth and traction on wet, slippery branches and snowy ground.
Sharp semi-retractable claws.
Rear ankles contain flexible ankle joint allowing 180 degree rotation so they can descend head first.

Question 22

What unique bone adaptation helps red pandas grip bamboo?

Answer 22

A modified wrist bone called a “false thumb.”
(Also have sharp, semi-retractable claws.)

Question 23

What sensory adaptations do red pandas have?

Answer 23

Excellent sense of smell, very good eyesight and hearing, and use of the underside of their tongue to collect odors and transport them to the Jacobson’s organ.
Only [carnivores] (carnivorans?) to use their tongue this way.

Question 24

What role do scent glands play in red panda behavior?

Answer 24

They have scent glands in their posterior and feet to mark territory and communicate sex, age, and fertility, especially during breeding season.

Question 25

Anything interesting about how red pandas scent mark?

Answer 25

They look like they're doing a "wiggle" dance.

Question 26

What functions does the red panda’s tail serve?

Answer 26

Balance when climbing, to cover face for warmth while sleeping and in cold of winter.

Question 27

Are red pandas solitary or social?

Answer 27

Generally solitary except during breeding or maternal care.

Question 28

How do red pandas respond when threatened?

Answer 28

They either climb a tree or stand on hind legs to appear larger.

Question 29

When are red pandas most active?

Answer 29

From dusk to dawn.

Question 30

How much time do they spend foraging?

Answer 30

10-12 hours a day.

Question 31

How do red pandas conserve energy during active and inactive periods?

Answer 31

They take frequent rest breaks and sleep during daylight hours. Sleep in tightly curled position to conserve heat.

Question 32

What is a red panda’s primary food source?

Answer 32

Tender leaves and shoots of bamboo.

Question 33

Are red pandas picky eaters?

Answer 33

Out of a possible 40 species of bamboo, red pandas only eat 1-2 of them. Generally select the most nutritious parts like tender leaves and shoots.

Question 34

Do red pandas eat anything besides bamboo?

Answer 34

During warmer months, supplement diet with insects, berries, blossoms, bird eggs, and leaves from various plants when available. It is difficult to obtain sufficient nutrition from bamboo alone.

Question 35

How much bamboo must a red panda eat daily?

Answer 35

Up to 30% of its body weight (about 3.3 pounds).

Question 36

Why is bamboo not an efficient food source for red pandas?

Answer 36

They have a carnivore’s simple digestive system and only absorb about 25% of nutrients from bamboo. Lack the long gut, prolonged digestion, and gut microbes that facilitate the digestion in most herbivores.

Question 37

How does red panda activity change in winter?

Answer 37

In winter, only bamboo is available. They reduce metabolism (without reducing core body temp) and in extreme cold, may enter torpor to conserve energy. May lose 15% of body weight in winter.

Question 38

What is torpor in red pandas?

Answer 38

A state of deep sleep with reduced metabolism, core temperature, and respiration.

Question 39

How do red pandas communicate?

Answer 39

Through scent marking (territory), head bobbing (when provoked/threatened), tail arching (when provoked/threatened), and sounds like twitters, whistles, hisses, and bleats (distress). Sounds may signal danger, be a reaction to threat, or to say "I'm here".

Question 40

When and how often do red pandas breed?

Answer 40

Once a year, usually between January and March.

Question 41

How long is a red panda’s gestation period?

Answer 41

About 135 days, but wide variations because of delayed implantation.

Question 42

What's an adaptation that allows a red panda to ensure birth during summer (June)?

Answer 42

Delayed implantation of fertilized egg.

Question 43

How many young are typically born in a litter?

Answer 43

Usually two, but can be one to four.

Question 44

What do newborn red pandas look like?

Answer 44

Blind, helpless, covered in gray fur. 3.9 to 4.6 oz

Question 45

Red panda maturity steps?

Answer 45

Eyes open at 18 days. Eat bamboo at 50–60 days. Weaned at 6-8 months. Fully grown at 12 months. Sexually mature at 18 months.

Question 46

What are some other names for red pandas?

Answer 46

Firefox, lesser panda, red cat bear, fox bear, wah (for the sound they make), Himalayan raccoon.

Question 47

What is the red panda’s conservation status?

Answer 47

Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with fewer than 10,000 adults and declining populations. CITES Appendix I

Question 48

What are major threats to red pandas?

Answer 48

Primarily: Deforestation, habitat loss/fragmentation, poaching. Fragmentation leads to inbreeding. Other human activities: competition with livestock, disease from feral dogs, pet trade.

Question 49

Why are red pandas sometimes hunted or poached?

Answer 49

For food, medicine, the pet trade, and their fur and tails used in ceremonial hats and dusters.

Question 50

What conservation efforts can help red pandas (general)?

Answer 50

Habitat protection, anti-poaching laws, community education, sustainable agriculture, and eco-tourism.

Question 51

What specifically can zoo guests do to help red pandas?

Answer 51

Supporting zoos that serve as DNA ark for species and provide opportunities to study them. SFZG participates in Red Panda SSP. Supporting organizations conducting research on the red panda such as World Wildlife Fund or the Red Panda Network. (RPN works with local communities to provide support and participation in conservation programs throughout red panda range.) Eco-tourism to national parks and other reserves supporting red pandas. Boycotting tourist or gift items that use red panda pelts or tails. Educating yourself and others on issues.

Question 52

How do red pandas coexist with giant pandas despite sharing habitat and diet?

Answer 52

Resource partitioning: Red pandas eat bamboo leaves and shoots; giant pandas eat stalks and stems (larger, stronger skull). They also prefer different terrain. Red panda needs fallen trees and shrubs around the bamboo to climb on in order to reach the leaves; giant panda prefers more open space.

Question 53

How are red pandas adapted to living in cold climates?

Answer 53

Dense fur, curled sleeping posture, torpor in extreme cold, and reliance on bamboo during winter.

Question 54

Ways to get kids engaged about red panda?

Answer 54

Have them imitate some of the movements: "wiggle" dance, front paws up to look intimidating, head bob Did you know birds are the only animals to build nests in trees? Red pandas do too! (Female builds nest using leaves and moss in hollow of a tree or in a rock column.) Have you ever been in a treehouse? Our red panda exhibit was originally built by Animal Planet’s “Treehouse Masters”. Did you fly on a plane to get here? Mebo did too! in May 2024, she came from Memphis Zoo, and was small enough to fly in the cabin! What adaptation helps red pandas grip bamboo? Special bone - false thumb. Demo red panda glove.

Question 55

Red panda interesting hooks/facts that aren't just for kids?

Answer 55

Reverse countershading (see other card). Our red panda exhibit was originally built by Animal Planet’s “Treehouse Masters”. How much time they spend eating, and why. If they eat all night, what do you see on their face that might help them navigate through dense vegetation at night? (whiskers, tapetum lucidum) Resource partitioning with giant pandas. Red panda closest relatives. Do you ever sunbathe? Red pandas sometimes sunbathe in the canopy during the day.

Question 56

SFZG red panda names and origins?

Answer 56

Male, subspecies fulgens (Himalayan), Tenzing, named after Sherpa Tenzing Norgay who successfully climbed to the summit of Mt Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953 (first confirmed summit). Came from Sacramento Zoo, born July 2013. Female, subspecies styani (Chinese), Little Mebo, came from Memphis Zoo in May 2024. Flew in the airline’s cabin as she was small at under one year of age. She is larger and darker than Tenzing.

Question 57

Name an adaptation that helps red pandas navigate dense vegetation at night?

Answer 57

Long whiskers. (Also have tapetum lucidum)

Question 58

Factors that hinder red panda conservation efforts?

Answer 58

Lack of scientific research and their slow reproductive rate

Question 59

What organization supports red panda conservation through local communities?

Answer 59

Red Panda Network

Question 60

What do red pandas do when threatened?

Answer 60

Climb to escape, or stand on hind legs and use sharp claws if unable to flee

Question 61

How long and when do red pandas typically sleep?

Answer 61

Up to 17 hours a day, during daylight.

Question 62

Difference between how red pandas sleep in warm vs. cold?

Answer 62

Stretched out on branches when hot and curled with tail over face when cold

Question 63

One way red panda mothers protect their young?

Answer 63

Moving them between several dens/nests

Question 64

How many cubs are in a typical red panda litter?

Answer 64

1 to 4

Question 65

Where are the two red panda subspecies found?

Answer 65

Himalayan: Mountains of northern India, Tibet, Bhutan, and Nepal Chinese: China’s Sichuan and Yunnan provinces