Before Seeing 'Turning Red,' Learn These Amazing Red Panda Facts (2024)

Before Seeing 'Turning Red,' Learn These Amazing Red Panda Facts (1)

Red pandas' adorable fluffy faces and hilarious hijinks make them fodder for all sorts of viral internet cuteness. Now, Disney’s recent release of the movie Turning Red, which tells the story of a Meilin "Mei" Lee, a 13-year-old girl who transforms into a big red panda when she feels big emotions, is likely to also sparka new wave of interest in the endangered animal. The movie, in truth a metaphor for adolescent pubescence and angst,comes out today on Disney+. On the occasion of the film's debut, here are eight fascinating details about these elusive animals:

They Are the Only “True” Panda

Before Seeing 'Turning Red,' Learn These Amazing Red Panda Facts (2)

Like giant pandas, red pandas are a bamboo-munching species native to high forests of Asia. While the two animals share a name and favorite food, they’re not closely related. Western scientists described red pandas 50 years before giant pandas, and named the black-and-white bear after the smaller red panda because of their shared characteristics, like a taste for bamboo and a bonus digit called a pseudothumb. But the latest research has placed red pandas in their own taxonomic family, Ailuridae, while giant pandas belongs to the Ursidae, or bear family.

That makes red pandas the only “true” panda. The term "panda" is believed to be derived from the Nepalese words "nigalya ponya" which translates to "bamboo eater."

Recent genetic studies suggesttwo distinct species of red panda: the Chinese red panda (Ailurus styani) and the Himalayan red panda (Ailurus fulgens). Chinese red pandas typically have a redder face and more distinguished tail rings, and Himalayan red pandas tend to be smaller and have lighter-colored fur.

They Mostly Eat Vegetation

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Though red pandas are carnivores, they rarely eat meat. The term carnivore refers to their biological order, not their dietary preference. Because red pandas descended from a shared ancestor with other carnivores, they share cat-like facial features and teeth, but they switched to a bamboo-based diet more than two million of years ago.

“Biologically, they're a carnivore, they have teeth designed for ripping and shredding,” says Sarah Glass, the curator for red pandas at Zoo Knoxville. “But somewhere along the way, they decided bamboo doesn't run away, it's always green, it's a big grass, you can always find it—I'm going to find a way to make this work.”

To manage their new grassy diet, red pandas gained adaptations, including an elongated wrist bone used to grasp bamboo when feeding called a pseudothumb. Because they retained the digestive system of a carnivore, a red panda has to eat 20 to 30 percent of their body weight in bamboo each day. Pandas will occasionally opt for foods like fruits, insects and bird eggs, too.

“They're using a carnivore digestive system to process bamboo and that is quite difficult,” says red panda biologist Angela Glatston. “They need an awful lot of bamboo get enough energy.” Because they have a short digestive system, red pandas poop mere hours after eating.

They are Arboreal Acrobats

Before Seeing 'Turning Red,' Learn These Amazing Red Panda Facts (4)

Red pandas are skilled tree-top navigators; they have sharp, semi-retractable claws like a cat, which they use to grip mossy and slippery tree branches. They also use their bushy tails, which are marked with alternating red and buff rings, as ballasts to maintain balance.

Because red pandas have extremely flexible ankles, they are one of the few animals that can climb down trees head-first. “When I go through the jungle, every other animal when they are in the trees, they crawl down with their hindlimbs first,” says Ang Puri Sherpa, country director for the Red Panda Network, a Nepalese organization dedicated to the conservation of wild red pandas. “But when you see the pandas, they always crawl down headfirst.”

Red panda’s fibula and tibia are attached in a way that allows their feet to rotate 180 degrees, giving their curved claws a better angle to grip tree bark.

Their Fur Provides Camouflage

Before Seeing 'Turning Red,' Learn These Amazing Red Panda Facts (5)

Though a red panda’s rusty coat might seem like a bold choice for a forest-swelling species, their color helps them blend in with their surroundings. In their home in the mountainous forests of China, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar, trees are draped with reddish-brown moss and lichens. Red pandas also have black fur on their belly and legs, which helps them hide from predators like snow leopards against the dark foliage.

“Sometimes it’s a miracle to spot a red panda because they can camouflage very well in their habitat,” says Sonam Tashi Lama, the project coordinator for the Red Panda Network. “There are mosses similar to the color of red pandas, so sometimes, we think there is a red panda far in the distance,” he says. When he gets closer, he’s often disappointed to find the reddish blob is a just clump of moss.

Their Home Is Fragmented

Before Seeing 'Turning Red,' Learn These Amazing Red Panda Facts (6)

Fewer than 10,000 red pandas survive in the wild, and hundreds live in zoos across the world. Those that have survived in the wild are often confined to pockets of intact forest. “The animals are isolated in small groups and losing maybe one female, for example, may totally wipe out the reproductive potential of that group,” says Glatston.

While the awareness of the threats to red pandas has increased dramatically over recent decades, humans and red pandas are still competing for space and resources. In addition to habitat loss, poaching is a huge threat to red pandas. Some animals are taken from the wild to be kept as pets (despite making terrible houseguests, according to experts) and others are killed for their fur.

“Support from the local community is very crucial, because they are real stewards of the red panda and their habitat,” says Lama. “Every day the human population is growing, and the demand of firewood and the demand of road networks in the hills where the red panda habitat falls is growing.”

One way that the Red Panda Network supports both locals and red pandas is by hiring community members as environmental stewards, which reduces poaching and provides alternative income sources.

They Are Smelly Socializers

Before Seeing 'Turning Red,' Learn These Amazing Red Panda Facts (7)

Red pandas usually prefer to live on their own, except for moms and their young cubs. Because males are solitary, they must work to find a female partner and begin searching for a suitable mate in the winter and early spring. To alert other pandas to their presence, males mark territory with scent glands on their feet and at the base of their tail. The glands secrete a colorless liquid that is pungent to pandas, but odorless to humans. They also opt for another charming trick: personal poop piles.

“These poop piles are basically a message post saying, ‘Hey, I'm in the area,’” says Glass. “Once a male finds a female, they'll follow them around and hang out closely, because you only have that short 24- to 48-hour window where she's going to turn around and go, “‘Okay, you're cute.’”

Like giant pandas, red panda females are fertile for only one or two days a year and can delay implantation of a fertilized egg for weeks. Red pandas’ gestation period can be short as 93 days or as long as 156 days to ensure cubs are born when the most tender and digestible bamboo shoots and leaves are available, usually in late spring.

Cubs Are Playful

Before Seeing 'Turning Red,' Learn These Amazing Red Panda Facts (8)

The first few weeks of a red panda’s life are a challenge. Red panda babies are born in litters of one to four cubs, but a female usually has a pair of offspring. Newborn red pandas “are about the size and shape of a Twinkie,” says Glass, and they nurse and get groomed for weeks before their eyes will start to open. At around a month old, they'll start to develop their distinct reddish color and darker markings.

“Six weeks is what starts we call the popcorn stage,” says Glass. “They just sort of leap randomly every so often, maybe into a wall, maybe each other.” Glass says they venture outside of the den around three months old, and only start to gain real control of their bodies at four of five months old.

Young pandas pounce and play not just for fun, but to build skills like balance and coordination. “One of the most charming sorts of play behavior I've ever seen is red panda young playing with their parents,” says Glatston. “They raise up on their hind legs, and put their front paws up, and then they will pounce on one of their parents. It's just so cute."

Red pandas are considered full-grown around two years of age and reach the size of a fluffy house cat.

They Can Endure Cold Weather

Before Seeing 'Turning Red,' Learn These Amazing Red Panda Facts (9)

When temperatures drop, red pandas conserve energy by slowing their metabolic rate. When in this state, called “torpor,” they drift into deep sleep, dropping their core body temperature and respiration rate. Red pandas'tails not only help them balance as they navigate the tree canopy—they also act as built-in blankets to protect them from harsh temperatures, which can dip to 19 degrees Fahrenheit at night.

Like the rest of their body, their tail is covered in a dense woolly undercoat with long, coarse guard hairs. Their nose is their only feature exposed to the elements—even the bottoms of their feet have an insulating layer of fur. When temperatures turn warmer in the summer months, red pandas stretch out on branches and pant to stay cool.

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Before Seeing 'Turning Red,' Learn These Amazing Red Panda Facts (10)

Corryn Wetzel | | READ MORE

Corryn Wetzel is a freelance science journalist based in Brooklyn. Her work has also appeared in Audubon magazine, National Geographic and others.

Before Seeing 'Turning Red,' Learn These Amazing Red Panda Facts (2024)

FAQs

Before Seeing 'Turning Red,' Learn These Amazing Red Panda Facts? ›

These mammals spend most of their time in trees and are famous for their incredible acrobatic skills. A red panda totters along the branch of an evergreen tree, placing one paw in front of the other like a gymnast on a balance beam.

Why is the red panda amazing? ›

These mammals spend most of their time in trees and are famous for their incredible acrobatic skills. A red panda totters along the branch of an evergreen tree, placing one paw in front of the other like a gymnast on a balance beam.

What do red pandas smell like? ›

Red pandas scent-mark territories using anal glands and urine, as well as scent glands located between their footpads. These scent glands on the bottom of red pandas' feet exude a colorless liquid that is odorless to humans.

What are 10 fun facts about red pandas? ›

  • Red Pandas Have Pseudo-Thumbs. ...
  • They Are Not Closely Related to Giant Pandas. ...
  • Red Pandas Were Recently Separated Into Two Species. ...
  • They Primarily Eat Bamboo. ...
  • They Have the Digestive System of a Carnivore. ...
  • Red Pandas Are One of Earth's Living Fossils. ...
  • Red Pandas Are Born Covered in Fur.

How many red pandas are left in 2024? ›

There are estimated to be around 2500 to 10,000 red pandas left in the wild, worldwide! This makes the red panda classified as an endangered species.

What are 20 interesting facts about red pandas? ›

  • 01 Red Panda Facts Infographics.
  • 02 Red pandas eat a variety of food.
  • 03 Wild red pandas only live in Asia.
  • 04 There are fossils of red panda in North America.
  • 05 The Smithsonian's National Zoo in the U.S. has red pandas.
  • 06 The red panda is a nocturnal animal.
  • 07 Red pandas are classified in its own unique family.
Dec 30, 2023

Do pandas have 5 or 6 fingers? ›

A panda's paw has six digits—five fingers and an opposable pseudo-thumb (actually an enlarged wrist bone) it uses merely to hold bamboo while eating. 7. Of all the members of the bear family, only sloth bears have longer tails than pandas.

What are 10 facts about panda? ›

10 Interesting Facts About Pandas
  • 99% of Giant Pandas' Diet Consistpandas of Bamboo. ...
  • Pandas Spend About 12 Hours A Day Eating. ...
  • Pandas Defecate More than 100 Times A Day. ...
  • Adult Pandas Weigh Up to 125 Kilograms. ...
  • Pandas Have “Pseudo-thumbs” ...
  • Pandas Communicate via Scent Marking. ...
  • Giant Pandas Don't Hibernate.
Mar 16, 2022

Can red pandas be pets? ›

IT IS ILLEGAL!

So, next time you see a 'cute' video of a red panda, or any other endangered species, being kept as a pet please don't share it. It may be innocent, however the more shares and views these videos get, the more demand there is for people to take them from the wild.

Are red pandas cute? ›

They also have fluffy white ears, fluffy tails, and fluffy paws. Their appearance has earned them a lot of attention from humans for being cute, much like the giant panda.

Are red pandas smart? ›

Red pandas are very curious, smart and playful animals. Being able to work with them is just amazing.

Can red pandas bark? ›

Red pandas that feel threatened make an ear-splitting, grumbly barking sound. Adults use high-frequency twitters and low-frequency bleats during breeding season. Other sounds include squeals, snorts, and audible exhales.

Do red pandas like honey? ›

The panda lives in thick bamboo and coniferous forests (evergreens with seed cones) at 8,500 to 11,500 feet elevation. it must eat a lot. Pandas also eat flowers, vines, tufted grasses, green corn, honey and rodents.

Are red pandas sleepy? ›

Red pandas are considered crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk), sleeping up to 17 hours a day. They are avid climbers due to the habitat they are found in and often sleep in trees during the daytime. Adult pandas are solitary with the exception of mating, where a pair of red pandas will come together to feed and rest.

What is the coolest thing about red pandas? ›

They are good at climbing trees

Red pandas are skilled climbers, using trees for shelter, to escape predators and to sunbathe. Their ankles are extremely flexible, and they can climb straight down a tree headfirst! Their long, sharp, semi-retractable claws help them traverse tree branches easily.

What are 10 things red pandas eat? ›

Red pandas feed mainly on leaves and bamboo, but occasionally snack on fruit, insects, bird eggs and small lizards, too.

Why are there only 10,000 red pandas? ›

The loss of nesting trees and bamboo is causing a decline in red panda populations across much of their range because their forest home is being cleared.

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