A brightly colored beautiful animal, which is called a fiery cat, a red bear and a fiery fox, can be described as a small or red panda. Its appearance is very different from the popular bamboo bear. According to recent research by scientists, she is the only representative of the pandas family.
Name and its origin
The history of the discovery and the name of the little panda has its roots dating back to the 13th century, when this animal was first mentioned in ancient Chinese scrolls from the time of the Chow dynasty. Only by the 19th century, information about him became known in Europe. The red panda was discovered and described by the General of the British Army and Naturalist Thomas Hardwick in 1821 in a mountainous area in northern India, who presented his report on it to the Linnean Society in London. According to his reports, the Chinese and Nepalese called the animal “poonya”, but he offered to give him a name by the characteristic sounds that he reproduced, “wah”.
Almost simultaneously with Hardwick, the description of the animal was made by the French scientist Fr. Cuvier, who found him very pretty, for which he named the “shining cat” (Ailurus fulgens). Gradually, the name “punya” was anglicized and transformed into a “panda”.
Systematization of the little panda
Initially, biologists attributed this animal to the raccoon family in external similarity, tooth structure, skull shape and other characteristics. The name "small" animal received after the discovery of a giant panda.
The debate of taxonomists about the correct classification of animals lasted more than 100 years. And only when DNA studies were carried out, it became clear that the large panda belongs to the bear family, and the small one received its own family - pandas.
Differences between big and small pandas
Many people believe that giant and small pandas are relatives, but this is not so. The name they received only for their external similarity. In fact, the bamboo bear does not belong to the panda family at all.
But the red, or small panda, is the only representative of the same family, the other members of which, according to scientists, have become extinct.
Malopandovye animals are part of the superfamily Musteloidea, which also includes skunks, raccoons and martens. They differ in predatory behavior, in general forms of the structure of the body and skull. Researchers concluded that in ancient times, small pandas were large predators and fed on the meat of wild animals. The most ancient remains of the Aylur animals (Ailurus) were discovered in Siberia and in the state of Washington (USA), from where they probably spread to Asia.
Appearance and description
As can be seen in the photo of the red panda, this animal is distinguished by a bright fiery color of its coat, not solid, but decorated for natural camouflage with various color spots: black legs, a red tail decorated with yellow, white and red rings, white spots on the muzzle that adorn and the tips of the ears. The fur is very thick, soft and long. Such colorful camouflage helps the animal to become invisible when living in trees, where he spends most of his life.
In order to make it convenient to climb trees, the panda has short strong paws and claws that can be half retracted, and fluffy fur on the soles allows you to walk on ice and snow. On the wrist of the forelimbs there is an “extra” finger in the form of an enlarged part of the bone, which is designed specifically to hold a bamboo branch.
The weight of an adult animal depends on its gender: males are larger, can reach up to 6.2 kg, females - 4-6 kg. The height of the animal is up to 25 cm, the length of the body without a tail can reach up to 64 cm, but the chic fluffy tail adds another 30-50 cm.
The description of the red panda allows us to understand why she was given names praising her brilliant and bright color, which is the same for females and males. In nature, such animals live for 8-10 years, and in comfortable conditions in captivity - up to 15.
Where does the red panda live?
According to scientists, earlier small pandas lived in many countries of Europe and even in North America, however, due to climate changes in these territories, they did not remain.
The modern habitat of the small panda is the Himalaya mountain system, passing through the countries of Asia: the west of India, Nepal, the southern regions of Burma and China. There are dense tall trunk forests of conifers, oak, chestnuts and maples, where in the lower tier there are bamboo thickets, the average height of 2-4 km above the sea.
Depending on the appearance and the region in which the red panda lives, scientists divide them into 2 subspecies: Indian (Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and some states of India) and Chinese (Northern Myanmar and southwestern regions of China). The latter are larger animals, and the color is slightly darker.
Red pandas usually live alone in their own territory, which they can only leave during the mating season, which occurs from January to March. Males usually mark borders (trees, stones and other natural objects) with the help of the anal glands and those located on the tips of the paws. The plot of each female panda is 2.5 square meters. km, and males - up to 5 square meters. km
Nutrition and lifestyle
Although the animal is considered a predator, it feeds on plant foods, most of which are bamboo shoots - the younger, the sweeter. They consume 4 kg of plants per day. They also eat leaves, roots, berries, fruits, lichens, acorns and mushrooms, from protein foods they use bird eggs and small insects, occasionally regale on chicks or mice.
The red panda is an animal that prefers a nocturnal lifestyle, because it does not tolerate hot days. The optimal conditions for them are +17 ... + 25 º. Most of the time “shiny cats” sit on bamboo trees (up to 13 hours a day) and slowly chew on young bamboo shoots, holding them with their front paws, which is very similar to a pose when eating human food.
In the daytime, pandas sit in the dense crowns of trees or inside a hollow, folding on a branch and covering their faces with a fluffy tail or paw. In extreme heat, they stretch in length and hang their paws down, as seen in the photo of the red panda below.
When the enemy appears, the animal either hides in a tree, or tries to scare him, arching and snorting. And upstairs, they can climb to any height, moving along the branches in a zigzag pattern.
Breeding
Small panda females come in once a year, and lasts no more than a day, which reduces the likelihood of a “narrowed” one. Bearing babies lasts quite a long time (90-150 days), which is associated with a slow metabolism of their body. The development of the fetus itself lasts about 50 days, and before that the embryo is in the latent period.
Not long before the birth, which falls on the period from May to June, the panda mother builds a nest in the hollow or in crevices of the rocks and covers it with grass, branches and leaves. In the litter, 1-4 blind puppies are born having a beige color weighing no more than 130 g.
After birth, the mother carefully licks the babies and feeds them milk. The first week, she practically does not leave the nest, and then begins to carry out hunting trips for food. Due to diseases and predators from the entire brood, only 1 puppy usually survives to adulthood.
After 3 weeks, the eyes of the red panda cubs open, and after a few days they try to leave the nest in search of food. However, they feed on breast milk up to almost 5 months of age, along with found plant foods.
Babies acquire a bright red color by 3 months, becoming fluffy bright red "kittens". They live with their mother and roam the whole family. At the age of 1.5 years, the cubs become sexually mature, however, they become capable of reproduction only in 2-3 years.
A rare species and its conservation
According to the statistics of scientists, now in the world there are no more than 10 thousand red pandas. The reason for their extinction and death is poachers who hunt for a beautiful fluffy animal skin. Locals use red fur to make hats and clothes. So, in one of the provinces of China, the headdress of a newlywed “shiny cat” wool is considered a talisman that promises a happy family life.
The decline in the panda population is associated with massive deforestation of bamboo forests, which also suffer from trampling by livestock. "Fire foxes" are often sick and attacked by predators. It is in connection with this that the little panda is included in the Red Book as an animal, disappearing and in need of protection and protection. To preserve their population in some habitats created conservation areas.
Interesting Facts
In China, locals call the small panda a fiery fox. This name and image were used by artists to create the logo and name of the Firefox browser by Mozilla, a computer software company.
The Red Panda is a symbol of the International Tea Festival, which is held in Darjeeling (India).
Unlike its large relative, small pandas are gourmets, consuming only the youngest and most tender bamboo shoots. In the winter, they dilute their diet with berries, mushrooms and protein foods to make up for the missing nutrients.
It has long been customary for residents of India and Nepal to keep these animals as pets, and they buy them on the black market.
The red panda is the hero of children's cartoons, for example, in the film "Kung Fu Panda" her image inspired artists to create a little master Shifu.
Life in captivity
In modern zoos of the world (in some cities of China and Sweden, as well as in Warsaw (Poland), Dublin (Ireland), Berlin (Germany), etc.) there are more than 800 small pandas. In Russia, 1 couple lives in Moscow, one animal each - in St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk.
Keeping them in captivity is not at all complicated, because thanks to the love of trees, they do not even need spacious enclosures. Most often they are settled in pens fenced with a metal mesh or plexiglass, placing tall trees, placers of boulders and logs inside.
The nature of the animals is quite peaceful, so they are kept by several individuals in each aviary (usually 1 male and 2 females). They can be settled with other larger and more peaceful animals, such as deer. Red pandas in captivity breed freely: more than half of the zoo animals were born under the same conditions.
"Shiny foxes" in Moscow
Red pandas were brought to the Moscow Zoo in 2009 from Madrid, the age of a pair of animals was rather considerable - 10 years. They were settled on the Island of Animals, where they got comfortable: during the day they slept on branches, and at dusk went down to walk along the aviary. However, after 4 years, they aged and died.
Then, in 2014, a 1.5-year-old female panda, Zane, was brought in, which was placed on the Old Territory, where a special aviary with climbing structures was prepared for her arrival. She liked the ladders and logs, but not the house. The basis of the diet of Zane is compound feed from cut fruits and green bamboo.
In 2015, she was finally lucky to find a couple: a male was brought from a Polish zoo, who was shared with her in an aviary. Since January 2018, the site of the Moscow Zoo has the opportunity to observe online the life of some animals in aviaries, including the family of “fire foxes”.
Pandas at home
Although the locals in India and China often contain such animals as domestic animals, in the climate of Russia those who want to make the “shiny fox” their pet may encounter legal problems and domestic issues. Pandas, as representatives of a rare and endangered species, can officially be sold only for maintenance in zoos, and private individuals buy them only on the black market.
Creating comfortable conditions in an apartment or a private house for a small panda is not at all simple. The animal will need an aviary, preferably high, and special designs that allow you to climb branches or logs.
But the biggest problem is to provide the animal with normal nutrition, because it is unlikely that it will be possible to find bamboo shoots every day in Russia. Therefore, many animals die due to poor nutrition and gastric diseases.
Conclusion
Red or small pandas are the only representatives of a rare and endangered species whose fate depends on the correct attitude of people to them. This is a beautiful, bright and original animal, which attracts many children and adults in its zoos and behavior. And videos on the Internet, showing big and small pandas, collect more than one million likes.