Scientific Description Lesser Panda

Animal Natural History Fact Sheets

Red Panda / Lesser Panda
Ailurus fulgens

General Characteristics: Biology

The red panda resembles a raccoon in size and appearance. The red panda weighs 3-6 kg. It lives in mountain forests with a bamboo understory. Red pandas are good tree climbers and spend most of their time in trees when not foraging. A female red panda picks a tree hollow or rock crevice for a maternal den. In the wild, red pandas are solitary, except for the time when a mother and its young are together.

The usual communication call is a series of short whistles and squeaks. When frightened or angry, red pandas stand on their hind legs and give sharp spitting hisses (like a cat), or a series of snorts. The red panda is most active at dawn and dusk, sleeping in trees during the day. They mark their territory with scent from an anal gland, and with urine and feces. Their trails are also marked automatically with scent from glands on the soles of their feet. Their excellent climbing abilities help them to escape predators.

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