Report Text, Red Panda

Red Panda

          A red panda is a small arboreal mammals (mammals that live on trees) native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China which is looks like a raccoon but, has a reddish-brown fur. It has a latin name Ailurus fulgens which means “A shining cat”. Despite the latin name means a shining cat, it is not a cat at all but it is related to raccoons, skunks and weasels. It was the first panda ever discovered by European scientists. Before red panda discovered, nobody knows about pandas including Giant Panda!

          A red panda has long, reddish-brown fur on the upper parts, blackish fur on the lower parts, and a light face with tear markings but, each individual can have different markings. Its face has white badges similar to those of a raccoon. Its roundish head has medium-sized upright ears, a black nose, and very dark eyes. It has a long bushy tail with six alternating yellowish red rings provides balance and excellent camouflage against its habitat of moss- and lichen-covered trees. Its legs are black and short with thick fur on the soles of the paws. This fur serves as thermal insulation on snow-covered or ice surfaces.

          It is endemic to the temperate forests of the Himalayas, and ranges from the foothills of western Nepal to China in the east.  Red pandas are excellent climbers, and forage largely in trees. They eat mostly bamboo, and may eat small mammals, birds, eggs, blossoms, and berries. In captivity, they were observed to eat birds, blossoms, maple and mulberry leaves, and bark and fruits of maple, beech and mulberry.

          It has been classified as Vulnerable by IUCN because its population is estimated at fewer than 10,000 mature individuals. Although red pandas are protected by national laws in their range countries, their numbers in the wild continue to decline mainly due to habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and inbreeding depression. Due to their shy and secretive nature, and their largely nocturnal habits, observation of red pandas is difficult.

A video show standing red panda

Group members : 

1. Briyan Ibnu Husna

2. Luthfi Abdi Wicaksana

3. Raymond Givenchy Rianka

4. Seamus Tadeo Marpaung