PhilC

Red Panda

A Red Panda looking more as though it could be a cute children's toy.
It was a real treat to get a shot like this, just a momentary pose for the cam...
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A Red Panda looking more as though it could be a cute children's toy.
It was a real treat to get a shot like this, just a momentary pose for the camera, as they are normally very shy and either just lying almost hidden on a branch asleep, or foraging quietly for food.

Also known as the Lesser Panda, in contrast to the Giant Panda, but the two species are not actually related. However, just like the Giant Panda, it also feeds mainly on bamboo, although it also eats eggs, birds and insects.
The red panda is listed as an endangered species, with the remaining wild population, estimated as around 10,000 animals, declining because of habitat loss and poaching, as well as the fragmentation of their remaining numbers causing inbreeding problems.
They live in both deciduous and coniferous forests that have bamboo undergrowth in the Himalaya region, up to a height of about 4000m.
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