The red panda is an endangered mammal found in Bhutan, India, Laos, Myanmar, and Nepal, China. It belongs to the order Carnivora and the family Lesser Panda.

It has been debated for many years whether it should be listed in the bear family or the raccoon family, but recently, after genetic analysis, it was concluded that it is most closely related to the raccoons of the American continent and should be classified as a separate family of red pandas.

The red panda first acquired the name " panda, " but later the giant panda became more widely known, so the term "panda" alone refers to the giant panda.

Frédéric Cuvier, a zoologist, and brother of French naturalist Georges Cuvier were so impressed by the specimens of the red panda that he used the Greek word "Ailurus fulgens" as its scientific name.

The red panda is obese and 40-60 cm long, larger than a cat but smaller than a dog. It weighs about 6 kilograms. The whole body is reddish-brown, and the limbs are brownish-black.

The red panda lives in the alpine jungle, usually in small groups of several. Although slow and clumsy, it is a skilled climber, able to climb steadily to the top of trees and even among the thin branches, dozing at ease.

It would naturally be difficult to rely on its sluggish movements to catch enough prey. So, the red panda has adapted to an omnivorous diet and is mainly plant-based. It eats mostly young leaves, fruits, bamboo shoots, and young leaves of bamboo, but does not eat dried bamboo, and sometimes preys on small birds and bird eggs.

The red panda sleeps at noon and at night, forages in the morning and evening, and climbs high trees to rest the rest of the day. Even during breeding, the pandas live in harmony with their male counterparts.

In the early morning, red pandas clean their fur with their forepaws, scratch their backs with twigs or stones, and patrol their territory with faint scent glands or urine to mark them.

When they feel threatened, they will immediately scurry into a rocky or tree-lined area that is difficult to access. When they feel less threatened, they will use their hind feet to stand upright in defense and use their sharp front paws to attack the enemy. Red pandas are very friendly, but not defenseless, and will resist when in danger.