Small panda redhead. Red panda at the Moscow Zoo

The first written references to this animal date back to the 13th century. They were found in the sources of China. Europeans learned about it only six centuries later. This was the credit of the English naturalist, General Thomas Hardwick. The animal was named Alurus fulqens, which in translation means "shining cat".

The ancestors of the current red pandas were spread very widely. Their remains are found in the east of Europe, in North America. Probably, the animals were adapted to a certain climate. With its change, the range of their habitat has greatly decreased.

Appearance description

A small animal is a small panda (red panda - its second name) has an elongated trunk. The length of his body is no more than 64 cm, and the tail can reach a length of 48 cm. Females weigh an average of 5 kg, males - 6 kg. The head is wide, with a sharp short muzzle and neat little ears, a rounded shape. Paws strong, but short, with semi-claw claws. Thanks to them, the red panda can easily climb onto trees and just as easily descends from them.

The back of a small panda is covered with red or nut brown hair, the lower part of the body is darker, with a brown tinge or even black. Paws are glossy-black, fluffy red tail with narrow rings, a head covered with very light hair, ears and a nice muzzle are white, and the eyes frame the picture in the form of a mask. This panda redhead is very similar to a raccoon. Interestingly, in each individual this pattern is completely unique. This wonderful camouflage helps a lot of animals who spend most of their life on trees covered with lichens and mosses.

Subspecies

Today, the small red panda is divided into two groups. The first is the western panda. It lives in the west of Nepal, Bhutan. The second subspecies of the panda is common in southern China and northern Myanmar.

The small panda of Steyan is much larger and much darker than its relative from the western territories.

In vivo, the red panda is found today only in some regions of China (Sichuan and Yunnan), Bhutan, Nepal, in the north of Burma. In addition, it is rare, but this animal can be found in the north of India.

Habitat

Probably, many are interested in where this red baby lives. Panda prefers to live in coniferous forests. Most often they choose fir. The main food of the red panda is bamboo.

Lifestyle

Significant, and perhaps most of life panda redhead spends on trees. Here she feels very comfortable. The animal descends to the ground only to get food for itself. The panda is more active in the evening. In the afternoon it settles in a hollow tree and sleeps sweetly.

While on a tree, a long tail helps her to maintain balance. On the ground, the panda holds it directly, so it does not touch the ground.

Every adult panda, regardless of whether it is a male or a female, has its own territory, and considerable. In males, it reaches 5 square kilometers, in females it is half that. They mark it with special marks, and because of this the animals immediately understand who lives next door to it in the neighborhood.

Adult pandas live alone, uniting in families during the breeding season. It comes in January.

Offspring

Panda cubs are born between 90 and 145 days after conception. However, the "real" pregnancy lasts 50 days. This can be explained by the fact that the fetus begins to actively develop only after a certain time after mating.

Before the very birth the female builds a nest in the cleft of the rock or the hollow of the tree. Typically, a red panda gives birth to 1-2 young. Sometimes there are more kids, but only one of them survives.

The cubs develop quite slowly. Up to five months of age, they only feed on their mother's milk.

At first, their fur has a light gray color. The red color begins to appear after three months of age. Babies can stay with their mother for up to 1 year, until new babies appear. Usually at this time young individuals themselves become sexually mature and begin an independent life.

Number of

Today, the small panda is included in the Red Book with the status of "Being exposed to danger." The species is considered to be endangered. According to different data, the number of these animals varies from 2500 to 10,000 individuals in the world. In nature, the panda's density is low, and its settlements can easily be destroyed - for example, when cutting down forests. The animals are mercilessly exterminated by poachers, which, naturally, does not contribute to the increase in the number of livestock. Over the past 50 years, the number of small pandas in areas adjacent to the Himalayan mountains has decreased by 40%.

Enemies

Fortunately, they have a little panda. Mostly it's a man and a snow leopard. From their four-legged enemy, fluffy animals can climb a tree and thus be saved, but from a person it is much more difficult to hide. Hunters (and poachers) are attracted by the beautiful fur of these animals, from which hats are made.

Red panda at the Moscow Zoo

These animals are actively breeding in conditions of captivity. In zoos for them, all the necessary conditions for active development are created. This red baby (panda) is well tamed. To date, about 350 animals are in 85 zoos in the world. In nature panda lives about 8-10 years, in zoos, the life expectancy of animals reaches 15 years.

In some areas of Nepal and India, red panda is found in homes as a pet. However, I must say that this is completely unacceptable. Even in the zoo, under the supervision of specialists, keep the beast is difficult, and at home it is almost impossible, because of an unusual diet. With improper feeding pandas die from intestinal diseases.

In the Moscow Zoo, in the pavilion "Cats of the Tropics", there was a charming red panda, which was called Zane. "Fiery cat" is unusually good. She came from Dublin, spent a month and a half in quarantine. Now she is pleased with her kind of visitors.

The opportunity to see a panda in motion increases in the afternoon, late in the evening - it leads an evening or night way of life. You can get lucky and you will hear her singing, similar to the twittering of a bird.

Zane persistently avoids cameras and flashes of cameras. In a spacious aviary, she sits, turning away from curious glances, and hides her cunning face in a fluffy red tail.

Today, many lovers of exotic animals tend to ensure that the red panda, whose price ranges from three to five thousand rubles, became their pet. However, it should be said again that these animals can not live at home, so you doom the animal to imminent death.

Small red panda - an animal rare, little-studied. Until now, scientists have not ceased to argue about the species to which this animal belongs.