World Red Panda Day is celebrated on 21 September and this gives us the perfect chance to learn some amazing facts about this animal. Take a look,
They Are Not Pandas
Despite their name, they are not closely related to pandas. Red Pandas are placed in a common group with bears, pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walrus), raccoons, and mustelids (weasels, skunks, otters, and badgers) but a research done in 2000 suggests they are not really related to bears or pandas. The red pandas are more closely related to skunks and racoons!
They Are About The Size Of A Domestic Cat
They might be called pandas but unlike the black and white Giant Pandas, the red pandas are about the size of domestic cats.
They Have A False Thumb
Red Pandas have a thumb like finger which is actually a growth of the wrist bone. It is said to have evolved to help the red pandas climb trees easily and eventually also help in holding and eating bamboo shoots and leaves. Giant pandas too have this kind of false thumb.
They Have A Sweet Tooth
In a study done in 2009, it was found that red pandas preferred drinking sweetened water to plain water. What’s more, the animals preferred artificial sweeteners to natural ones! That makes them the only non-primates to do so.
They Tweet
No, red pandas are not on twitter like you and me, but they do tweet because the sound red pandas make is called twittering.
(Read more: Interesting Endangered Animal Facts From A to Z)
They Have Many Names
According to a very interesting insight from Scientific American,
“Red pandas have different names depending on where you are. In Nepal, they’re called bhalu biralo. Sherpas call the critter ye niglva ponva or wah donka. But the Western world did not always call it a red panda. In 1821, the English naturalist Major General Thomas Hardwicke made a presentation on the creature at the Linnean Society in London. That is typically regarded as the moment the red panda became known in Western science. In his presentation, titled “Description of a new Genus of the Class Mammalia, from the Himalaya Chain of Hills Between Nepaul and the Snowy Mountains,” he argued that the animal be called a “wha,” explaining, “It is frequently discovered by its loud cry or call, resembling the word ‘Wha’, often repeating the same: hence is derived one of the local names by which it is known. It is also called Chitwa.” Unfortunately, Hardwicke’s paper wasn’t published until 1827, by which time the French zoologist Frédéric Cuvierhad already published a description of the species along with a drawing. Naming rights, therefore, went to Cuvier.”
They Have A Browser Named After Them
In Chinese, “fire fox” is another name for red panda. It is said that Firefox browser is named after it.
They Are Losing Their Home
Almost 50 percent of Red Panda population is found in Eastern Himalayas across India, Nepal and Bhutan. However, the loss of nesting trees and bamboo trees is causing the pandas to lose their habitat.
More Related Stories,
WWF India Captures Rare Photo Of Red Panda
Hi,
My friend and I are creating a little children’s story. I illustrate.
I wanted the main character to have a Red Panda friend. I also wanted to use dragonflies.
Would you please be able to give me an idea of the best setting?
I realise Eastern Himalayas most likely; Nepal, China or Bhutan.
Many thanks
Marguerite