Tonight, the Night Safari resident to take centrestage is...
The Red Panda!!!Is it a panda or is it a racoon??
Their closest relative is actually the giant panda, but they resemble racoons. Red Pandas are also known as a 'lesser panda'.
Got discrimination amongst bears too!
The Chinese name for red panda is hunho or firefox, due to their colour and similar size to a fox.
Red Pandas are secretive and gentle creatures, spending most of the day sleeping curled up with their tail wrapped around their head. (In other words, NUA!
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Red pandas have a bear-like body with thick russet fur. The belly and limbs are black and there are white markings on the side of the head and above the small eyes. They have thick bushy tails with light-brown rings, pointed ears and a pointed snout. They are usually 50-63 cm long and typically weigh about 4-6 kgs. Like giant pandas, red pandas have an extra 'thumb' which is simply an enlarged bone. They are slow-moving on the ground but are remarkably agile in the trees.
Red pandas mainly feed on bamboo, but also eat acorns, roots, berries, lichens and occasionally eggs and young birds. A red panda can consume up to 45% of its own body weight daily by eating approximately 200,000 bamboo leaves.
The Red Panda is an endangered species and are protected in Nepal and China.