A 1982 study examined the similarities and differences in the skull between the red panda and the giant panda, other bears and procyonids, and placed the species in its own family Ailuridae. At the time, most prominent biologists also considered the red panda to be related to the giant panda, which would eventually be found to be a bear. In the early 20th century, various scientists placed it in the family Procyonidae with raccoons and their allies. The placement of the red panda on the evolutionary tree has been debated. They probably diverged due to glaciation events on the southern Tibetan Plateau in the Pleistocene. DNA sequencing of 132 red panda faecal samples collected in Northeast India and China also showed two distinct clusters indicating that the Siang River constitutes the boundary between the Himalayan and Chinese red pandas. Red Pandas in southeastern Tibet and northern Myanmar were found to be part of styani, while those of southern Tibet were of fulgens in the strict sense. The researchers suggested that the two subspecies should be treated as distinct species. In 2020, results of a genetic analysis of red panda samples showed that the red panda populations in the Himalayas and China were separated about 250,000 years ago. The Chinese subspecies has a more curved forehead and sloping snout, a darker coat with a less white face and more contrast between the tail rings.

The Himalayan subspecies has a straighter profile, a lighter coloured forehead and ochre-tipped hairs on the lower back and rump. It is traditionally divided into two subspecies: the Himalayan red panda ( A.

The modern red panda is the only recognised species in the genus Ailurus. In 1902, Oldfield Thomas described a skull of a male red panda specimen under the name Ailurus fulgens styani in honour of Frederick William Styan who had collected this specimen in Sichuan. The red panda was described earlier by Thomas Hardwicke in 1821, but his paper was only published in 1827. Cuvier's description was based on zoological specimens, including skin, paws, jawbones and teeth 'from the mountains north of India', as well as an account by Alfred Duvaucel. The red panda was described and named in 1825 by Frederic Cuvier, who gave it its current scientific name Ailurus fulgens. Watercolour painting of a red panda commissioned by Thomas Hardwicke c. The specific epithet fulgens is Latin for 'shining, bright'. The genus name Ailurus is adopted from the Ancient Greek word αἴλουρος ailouros meaning 'cat'. In English, it was simply called panda it became known as the red panda or lesser panda to distinguish it from the giant panda, which was formally described and named in 1869. The name panda is thought to have originated from the red panda's local Nepali name पञ्जा pajā 'claw' or पौँजा paũjā 'paw'. It is featured in animated movies, video games, comic books and as the namesake of companies and music bands. Regional captive breeding programmes for the red panda have been established in zoos around the world. It is protected in all range countries.Ĭommunity-based conservation programmes have been initiated in Nepal, Bhutan and northeastern India in China, it benefits from nature conservation projects. The species has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2015. It is threatened by poaching as well as destruction and fragmentation of habitat due to deforestation. Red pandas mate in early spring, with the females giving birth to litters of up to four cubs in summer. It feeds mainly on bamboo shoots and leaves, but also on fruits and blossoms. The red panda inhabits coniferous forests as well as temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, favouring steep slopes with dense bamboo cover close to water sources. The evolutionary lineage of the red panda ( Ailuridae) stretches back around 25 to 18 million years ago, as indicated by extinct fossil relatives found in Eurasia and North America. It is not closely related to the giant panda, which is a bear, though both possess elongated wrist bones or 'false thumbs' used for grasping bamboo. The red panda's place on the evolutionary tree has been debated, but modern genetic evidence places it in close affinity with raccoons, weasels, and skunks. The two currently recognised subspecies, the Himalayan and the Chinese red panda, genetically diverged about 250,000 years ago. The red panda was first formally described in 1825. It is well adapted to climbing due to its flexible joints and curved semi-retractile claws. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzzle and a ringed tail. The red panda ( Ailurus fulgens), also known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China.

Red panda paws