The Zoo is
CLOSED
for the winter season.
Visit us when we
reopen in April 2010.

Red Panda

Scientific Name:	Ailurus fulgens styani
Range:	Himalaya Mountains
Habitat:	Dense bamboo forests
Natural Diet:	Almost exclusively bamboo, but also seeds, fruit, berries, and an occasional insect, young bird, bird egg, or small rodent
Zoo Diet:	Leaf-eater apple biscuits, apples, grapes
Physical Characteristics:	Red pandas resemble raccoons in size and appearance. They are 20 to 25 inches long and weigh 6 ½ -10 pounds. Their red-orange, woolly coat has a dark brown underside, and their white muzzle has red-orange “tear-tracks” running down both cheeks. Red pandas have short, black legs and long, semi-retractable claws on their furry paws. A long, bushy tail ringed in red-orange and light brown aids the panda in balancing along tree limbs.
Behavior:	Red pandas are mostly nocturnal and live alone or in pairs. They live and feed on the ground, but often sleep in trees with their tail curled up over their head or tucked onto their chest. You may also catch them resting on tree limbs with legs dangling on either side. Red pandas talk with whistles and squeaks. Pandas defend their territory by rearing up on hind legs and hissing. They wash themselves with their tongue, much like a cat.
Reproduction:	Female red pandas use natural shelters, like tree hollows, to raise one to four cubs. Cubs can take care of themselves after several months but stay with their mother for up to a year.
Notes:	Although the red panda is classified as a carnivore and has canine teeth, its diet is mainly bamboo. They live up to 14 years and can be seen in the Central Zoo area of the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. In Nepal, the word “panda” came from the word “ponya,” which means “bamboo eater.”

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