TRUTH OR TAIL: Red pandas are related to the giant panda

Even though the panda moniker is most associated with the giant, black and white bear that shares it, red pandas are the original panda. In 1825, nearly 50 years before the giant panda was discovered, French zoologist and paleontologist Frédéric Cuvier first described the red panda, calling it ‘the most beautiful animal he had ever seen’. Giant pandas were later named after red pandas due to their shared characteristics, such as a bamboo-centric diet.

If the name game weren’t confusing enough, red pandas are sometimes referred to as “red-bear-cat" in their wild home of the Eastern Himalayas. Like bears, red pandas’ babies are called cubs – and like cats, red panda moms lick their cubs to clean them.

Okay, okay, just one more unexpected animal association: ducks.

Red pandas make a variety of sounds to communicate with one another, and one of these is described as a “huff-quack” reminiscent of ducks’ familiar call.

A creature of many contradictions, red pandas are carnivores and belong to Order Carnivora, but they rarely eat meat, dining mostly on bamboo. While they have gained adaptations to help them manage their preferred diet, red pandas still have a carnivore’s digestive system and must eat 20-30% of their body weight in bamboo each day to produce enough energy.

That energy is used for all sorts of forest acrobatics. Red pandas are adept at navigating the treetops of their Himalayan home, with semi-retractable claws and feet that can rotate 180 degrees, allowing them to climb down headfirst. Their ruddy color is also tailored to their wild habitat, helping them blend in among the trees which are often draped with red mosses and lichens.

Red pandas are listed as Endangered and are highly threatened in the wild; populations have declined over 50% in the last two decades due to habitat loss and human development. Your Zoo is working to protect them and their wild home in partnership with Red Panda Network.

Endlessly fascinating, undeniably cute, and important to their wild ecosystem, red pandas are truly one-of-a-kind, and worth protecting. They enjoy cooler temperatures, so be sure to stop by their habitat in Asian Highlands as fall approaches to see if you can spot some of their distinctive traits!