Physical Characteristics:

• Size: They are about the size of a domestic cat, weighing around 8 to 14 pounds (3.6 to 6.3 kg). Their bodies are about 20-26 inches long, and their tails add another 12-20 inches.
• Fur: Their reddish-brown fur helps them blend into the forest's canopy, while their thick fur keeps them warm in colder climates.
• Tail: Their long, bushy tails are used for balance and warmth. They curl their tails around themselves when sleeping, much like a blanket.

Behavior:

• Solitary: Red pandas are primarily solitary creatures. They come together only for mating. Each individual has a defined territory, which they mark with scent glands.
• Diet: They're mostly herbivores, feeding on bamboo like their giant panda relatives, but they also eat fruits, acorns, and even small animals like birds or eggs. Bamboo makes up about 50% of their diet, though it’s not very nutritious, so they have to eat a lot of it.
• Activity: They are mostly nocturnal and crepuscular (active during dawn and dusk), spending most of the day resting in trees or hidden spots.

Habitat:

• Location: Red pandas are native to the mountainous regions of the Himalayas, as well as parts of southwestern China, Nepal, India, and Bhutan. They live in temperate forests with a lot of bamboo and dense vegetation.
• Altitude: They thrive at altitudes ranging from 2,200 to 4,800 meters (7,200 to 15,700 feet), where the air is cooler and the bamboo grows.

Conservation Status:

• Endangered: The red panda is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). There are fewer than 10,000 individuals left in the wild. Habitat loss, poaching for their fur, and climate change are some of the biggest threats to their survival.
• Conservation Efforts: Many wildlife organizations are working to protect red pandas and their habitat, including creating safe corridors and restoring bamboo forests.

Fun Fact:

• Despite being called a “panda,” red pandas have a different evolutionary history than the giant panda. They are the only species in their genus, Ailurus, and are part of their own family, Ailuridae. They are the only living species in that family, making them quite unique!