Red Panda / Firefox / Fire Cat / Lesser Panda /Ailurus fulgens, endemic to Himalayas in Bhutan, southern China, India, Laos, Nepal, Burma. Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, Washington.

The Red Panda, Firefox, Fire Cat, or Lesser Panda, or Ailurus fulgens ("shining cat"), is a mostly herbivorous mammal, specialized as a bamboo feeder. The most recent molecular-systematic DNA research places the Red Panda into its own independent family Ailuridae. Ailuridae are in turn part of a trichotomy within the broad superfamily Musteloidea (Flynn et al., 2001) that also includes the Mephitidae (skunks) and the Procyonidae (raccoons) + Mustelidae (weasels). Unlike the Giant Panda, it is not a bear (Ursidae). The Red Panda is slightly larger than a domestic cat (40 - 60 cm long, 3 - 6 kg weight), and is endemic to the Himalayas in Bhutan, southern China, India, Laos, Nepal, and Burma. Red Panda is the state animal in the Indian state of Sikkim, and also the mascot of the Darjeeling international festivals. There is an estimated population of fewer than 2,500 mature individuals. Their population continues to decline due to habitat fragmentation. Photographed in the Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, Washington.

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Contained in galleries: Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo

The Red Panda, Firefox, Fire Cat, or Lesser Panda, or Ailurus fulgens ("shining cat"), is a mostly herbivorous mammal, specialized as a bamboo feeder. The most recent molecular-systematic DNA research places the Red Panda into its own independent family Ailuridae. Ailuridae are in turn part of a trichotomy within the broad superfamily Musteloidea (Flynn et al., 2001) that also includes the Mephitidae (skunks) and the Procyonidae (raccoons) + Mustelidae (weasels). Unlike the Giant Panda, it is not a bear (Ursidae). The Red Panda is slightly larger than a domestic cat (40 - 60 cm long, 3 - 6 kg weight), and is endemic to the Himalayas in Bhutan, southern China, India, Laos, Nepal, and Burma. Red Panda is the state animal in the Indian state of Sikkim, and also the mascot of the Darjeeling international festivals. There is an estimated population of fewer than 2,500 mature individuals. Their population continues to decline due to habitat fragmentation. Photographed in the Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, Washington.