The Red Panda Habitat
The red panda, Ailurus fulgens, is a mammalian found in the Eastern Himalayas. The habitats range is known to be approximately 12,500km^2, across central Nepal, Myanmar, China, northeast India, and Bhutan. Individual red panda's home range is designated to be from 1.0 to 10km^2. Said home range needs to provide basic needs such as food, shelter, water and reproductive mates. However the global population of the red panda is only estimated to be 10,000 individuals (Chakraborty, 2014). This species is mainly found in temperate & subtropical forests at high-altitudes, found between 2,400m and 3,700m. |
Taxonomy
Scientific name: Ailurus fulgens Common name: Red Panda, Lesser Panda, Red Cat-Bear |
The Red Panda dietThis mammalian is a member of the order carnivora; however it has changed its diet and become an herbivore. These species live in the higher mixed conifer forests. Their feeding habits are composed of 98% bamboo, with the remainder being fruits and other types of plants. There are 40 different types of bamboo, however the red panda only eats one or two of these (Wei, 2011).
|
Red Panda ReproductionThe Red panda has a period of gestation of 114 to 145 days. It becomes independent after 8 months and is sexually mature at from 18-20 months. (Northrop, 2011) Its daily activities are feeding for 10 to 12 hours and resting for the remainder. However, this mammalian has a slow growth rate and can reproduce only every twelve months. Nevertheless, the red panda has multiple oestradiol peaks which means that the female can be pregnant more often and at different times of the year. This helps increase their change of reproducing compared to species with only one oestradiol peak (Northrop, 2011).
|