Animal of the Month: the Red Panda

Say hello to Bob.

Kidding! The picture is of a namless wild Red Panda-- one of the last Red Pandas among the world. They usually grow to be the size of a house cat, not including their lush tail which ends up being about 46 centimeters. They use their long ringed tails for warmth in the habbitat of Nepal and northern Myanmar (Burma), as well as in central China. This fuzzy little herbivore has aprox. a lifespan of 8 years in the wild. They are most active during the night and have a taste, like its black, white, and much larger Panda, for bamboo-- but unlike its relative, Red Pandas have a enjoy snacking on acorns, eggs, roots, and fruit. This type of panda is shy and solitary except when they mate-- and the young pandas remain in ther nests for about 90 days while their mother cares for them. Maybe you can see the resemblence-- the Red Panda is also related to the racoon in addition to the Panda. These adorable animals are going extinct due to the cutting down of forests.