# Red Panda (*Ailurus fulgens*)

> The red panda is a small, tree-dwelling mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China, with rust-red fur, a ringed bushy tail, and a face like a raccoon. About the size of a house cat, it feeds mainly on bamboo and is the only living member of its own family. Red pandas typically live 8 to 14 years and are listed as Endangered.

- **Category:** Mammal
- **Conservation status (IUCN):** Endangered
- **Range:** Temperate bamboo forests of the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China.
- **Canonical page:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/red-panda/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Scientific classification

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Mammalia
- **Order:** Carnivora
- **Family:** Ailuridae
- **Genus:** Ailurus

## Facts at a glance

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Ailurus fulgens |
| Diet | Omnivore (mostly bamboo) |
| Habitat | Temperate Himalayan forest |
| Lifespan | 8–14 years |
| Weight | 3–6 kg (7–13 lb) |
| Top speed | Up to 38 km/h (24 mph) |
| Conservation status | Endangered (IUCN) |

## Not really a panda

Despite the name and a shared love of bamboo, the red panda is not closely related to the giant panda. It is the sole living species in its own family, Ailuridae, and is more closely related to raccoons, weasels, and skunks. It even has a 'false thumb', an extended wrist bone, for gripping bamboo.

## Diet and lifestyle

Red pandas spend most of their lives in the trees, where their reddish coats blend with reddish moss and lichen. They are mainly active at dawn and dusk and eat huge amounts of bamboo to make up for how little nutrition they extract from it, supplementing it with fruit, berries, eggs, and insects.

## Surviving the cold

Living in cool mountain forests, the red panda has dense fur even on the soles of its feet and wraps its long, bushy tail around itself like a blanket against the cold. When threatened, it can stand on its hind legs to look bigger and lash out with sharp claws.

## Conservation

Red pandas are Endangered, with fewer than an estimated 10,000 left in the wild. Deforestation, fragmentation of their bamboo forests, poaching for fur, and the illegal pet trade are the main threats. Protected reserves and community forestry programs are vital to their future.

## Not a true panda

Despite its name and bamboo diet, the red panda is not closely related to the giant panda. It is the only living member of its own family, Ailuridae, and is roughly the size of a large house cat with a long, bushy, ringed tail.

## Lifestyle

Red pandas are mostly solitary and active around dawn and dusk. They are skilled climbers that spend much of their time in trees, using their tails for balance and warmth, and like giant pandas they have a false thumb for gripping bamboo.

## Frequently asked questions

### Are red pandas endangered?

Yes. The red panda is listed as Endangered, with habitat loss and poaching driving population declines across its Himalayan range.

### What do red pandas eat?

Red pandas eat mainly bamboo, but also fruit, acorns, eggs, and small animals, supplementing the low nutrition of bamboo with a varied diet.

### Are red pandas related to giant pandas?

No, only distantly. Despite sharing a bamboo diet and a name, the red panda belongs to its own family and is more closely related to raccoons and weasels than to the giant panda.

### How big is a red panda?

A red panda is roughly the size of a large house cat, weighing 3 to 6 kg (7 to 13 lb), though its long bushy tail makes it look bigger.

### Where do red pandas live?

Red pandas live in the cool temperate forests of the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China, across countries including Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, and China.

### Why are red pandas endangered?

Red pandas are Endangered due to deforestation, habitat fragmentation, poaching for their fur, and the illegal pet trade, which have reduced their numbers to an estimated 10,000 or fewer in the wild.

## Sources

- Glatston, A. et al. (2015). Ailurus fulgens. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- [Animal Diversity Web — Ailurus fulgens. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ailurus_fulgens/)
- Nowak, R. M. (1999). Walker's Mammals of the World (6th ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press.

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/red-panda/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.