About who these pandas are, all people know. These are black and white cute bear family members who live in Asia and eat bamboo. But there are also so-called little pandas. Who are they, where did they come from, where and how do they live, and why are they called that way?
Description
The Little Red Panda is an animal of the pandas family. Refers to mammals and to the predatory order. Outwardly, they are very easy to distinguish from other animals. The body length is from 50 to 65 centimeters, the tail can also reach about 50 cm. Weight ranges from about 4 to 6 kilograms. Males can weigh less than females. The panda is called red for a reason. She has a pronounced red color of hair, in places there are light yellow spots on the back and tail, and the color on the legs and lower body is darker. The head is lighter in comparison with the body, and especially the muzzle, and it also has a spotted pattern near the eyes, like raccoons. The most interesting thing is that each animal has its own unique spots. There are also small rounded ears, a pointed muzzle, claw legs adapted for climbing trees, and 38 teeth. They are very fluffy, which makes them look like toys.
Small pandas live, as you know, in the west and south of China, in the territories of Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. There are very few of them in the world, therefore such animals are classified as endangered.
Life expectancy is approximately 10 years, but some members of the family can live up to 15 years.
Title
When exactly these animals arose, nobody knows for sure. However, the first record on paper of small pandas was found in China and dates from the 13th century.
And for the first time, European scientists got to know this species and began to be interested in it only in the 19th century, when there were already quite a lot of colonies in Asia. It is officially believed that the species was discovered by naturalist Thomas Hardwick in 1821. The scientist proposed to call the animals "wa", because the local Chinese called the red pandas because of the sounds they make. They were also called "ho-hu", and the inhabitants of Nepal - "punya". And it is from the last name that the famous word "panda" came to us all.
But the naturalist from France gave another Latin name - Ailurus fulgens, which literally means brilliant cat. However, the name panda, which was given by Thomas Hardwick, still stuck. These animals are also called fire-colored cat, fire cat, bear cat.
History
The ancestor of the small pandas lived in the Paleogene period. And ancient representatives of the present species were found not only in China, but also in the UK, and even in North America.
For a long time, red pandas have been included in the bear or raccoon family. However, according to recent genetic studies, this species was decided to be attributed to Ailuridae (pandas), where small pandas are the only representatives, except for the already extinct close genera of this family, of which there were 7 more. It follows from the superfamily marten-like, which are also represented by marten and skunk family.
The question immediately arises, are big and small pandas relatives? Yes, they are distantly related. Presumably, the same ancient ancestor of the Paleogene period is common to both the large and the small panda. However, considering evolution, the “red cats” are nevertheless closer both externally and genetically to raccoons. But the big black and white “namesakes” now refer to bears (bear family). Therefore, the assertion that these two species are now related, only if we start from the name, is nevertheless, rather, wrong.
Subspecies
Small pandas are the only representatives of their family. However, there are two of their subspecies:
- Little western panda. It lives in the west of China.
- The small panda Steinan, already lives in southern China and northern Myanmar. Representatives of this subspecies are slightly larger and darker than their Western counterparts.
Breeding
The mating season for small pandas falls on January. Usually 3-5 months pass between mating and childbirth, but the embryo develops in only 50 days. This is explained by the so-called period of diapause, when after conception the development of the fetus does not begin immediately, but a certain period passes, when the embryo begins to grow.
Pandas are born blind, deaf and very small, weighing only 100 grams. They also do not yet have their own red color. Rather, they are born light beige. Before giving birth, the mother prepares a place for the future cubs in the hollow or crevice of the rock, after having previously laid branches and leaves there. As a rule, one or two pandas are born, sometimes up to four. But by adulthood, usually only one cub survives.
Small pandas grow quite slowly. By the 20th day of life, they only open their eyes, and by the third month they begin to leave the nest, eat solid food and acquire a reddish color. And only after that they begin to walk with their mother through her territory. Puberty occurs only in one and a half years of life. But even at this age, young red pandas can still stay with their mothers (even already having their own offspring). More or less "adults" they become only in 2-3 years.
Sometimes it happens that fathers raise cubs if the whole "family" leads a group lifestyle. But they usually do not care about their offspring.
Lifestyle
How do small pandas live? They lead a nocturnal lifestyle, and during the day they sleep in the hollows of trees or rocks. These animals can very easily climb trees, but on the ground they walk less frequently and more clumsily outwardly. As a means of communication, short sounds can make quiet sounds, somewhat reminiscent of birds. As a rule, they live in pairs or families.
Despite the fact that small pandas are predators, they are quite peaceful, but males (especially in the wild) can zealously protect their territory from other males. Their possession usually very large, up to 5 km 2 males and 2.5 km 2 - females.
Nutrition
It is worth noting that despite the fact that the "fiery cats" belong to the order of predators, they eat, as a rule, bamboo leaves. Ordinary plants are rare in their diet, as they have cellulose that they do not digest. Also in winter, red pandas often feed on berries, mushrooms and even bird eggs and small rodents. Nevertheless, the stomach and teeth of red pandas are exactly like those of predators, and not like herbivores.
Due to such a digestive system, another interesting feature of the organism of this animal follows - a rather slow metabolism. This is due to the fact that there is very little food (especially in winter), and you need to save energy, as well as the fact that the digestive tract is like that of a predator, and the diet is almost completely vegetable, therefore it is more difficult to absorb energy. It is known that red pandas absorb only a quarter of the energy received from bamboo.
Number
Lesser Red Pandas are listed as “Endangered” in the Red Book. They are considered an endangered species, because their number reaches only about 2500 individuals. According to unofficial data, there are more of them - up to 10,000. Due to such disappointing numbers for red pandas, all conditions are created in zoos especially for the number of individuals to increase, and the species will no longer be in danger of extinction. In addition, the maintenance of small pandas in captivity literally saves them, because in the wild there are also very few of them, the population density is low. Illegal poaching sometimes becomes a particular problem.
Small pandas are found in zoos around the world. It is known that the number of captive individuals over the past two decades has doubled, which is good news. However, this process can hardly be accelerated, because, as you know, the red panda females usually have two cubs. It should be borne in mind that if all the necessary conditions are created in zoos for red pandas, then it’s absolutely impossible to keep a house as a pet, because animals require special nutrition, care and much more.
To summarize
So who are these cute animals - little pandas? These are representatives of the panda family, distant relatives of raccoons and mustelids. Despite the interesting fact about small pandas that they belong to the order of carnivores, they are quite peaceful, and their main diet is made up of bamboo leaves, berries, mushrooms.
Externally, individuals of red pandas stand out for their red color, which in places below the body can be very dark, and on the muzzle - with bright spots. Their weight usually reaches 4-6 kilograms. They lead a nocturnal lifestyle, and during the day they sleep in hollows or crevices.
The first mention of these animals appeared in the XIII century, but the scientist Thomas Hardwick discovered them in Europe only in the XIX century.
Red pandas are threatened with extinction, as according to official figures there are only about 3 thousand. Fortunately, they easily endure life in captivity in zoos, where they try to do everything possible to increase their numbers.