The red panda (Ailurus fulgens), also known as the lesser panda, is a captivating creature inhabiting the Eastern Himalayas and Southwestern China. Its diet is a fascinating adaptation to its environment. This article delves into the dietary habits of this endangered species, exploring its primary food sources, foraging behavior, and nutritional needs.
Red Panda: An Introduction
The red panda, scientifically named Ailurus fulgens, exhibits a striking appearance. It has dense reddish-brown fur complemented by a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzzle, and a distinctive ringed tail. These animals typically measure 51-63.5 cm (20.1-25.0 in) in head-to-body length, with a tail extending 28-48.5 cm (11.0-19.1 in). Their weight ranges from 3.2 to 15 kg (7.1 and 33.1 lb). There are two recognized subspecies: the Himalayan red panda (A. f. fulgens) and the Chinese red panda (A. f. styani), which genetically diverged approximately 250,000 years ago.
The red panda's evolutionary placement has been a topic of debate. However, modern genetic evidence suggests a close relationship with raccoons, weasels, and skunks, distinguishing it from the giant panda, which is a bear. Both pandas possess an elongated wrist bone, or "false thumb," which aids in grasping bamboo.
Habitat and Distribution
Red pandas inhabit coniferous forests, as well as temperate broadleaf and mixed forests. They prefer steep slopes with abundant bamboo cover near water sources. These solitary and largely arboreal animals face threats from poaching, habitat destruction, and fragmentation due to deforestation. Conservation efforts, including community-based programs and captive breeding initiatives, are underway to protect this endangered species.
In Nepal, red pandas reside within six protected area complexes within the Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests ecoregion. The westernmost records were obtained in three community forests in Kalikot District in 2019. Panchthar and Ilam Districts mark its easternmost range in the country, where its habitat in forest patches is surrounded by villages, livestock pastures, and roads. The metapopulation in protected areas and wildlife corridors in the Kangchenjunga landscape of Sikkim and northern West Bengal is partly connected through old-growth forests outside protected areas. These forests are dominated by Himalayan oaks (Quercus lamellosa and Q.
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Red pandas prefer microhabitats within 70-240 m (230-790 ft) of water sources. Fallen logs and tree stumps are important habitat features, as they facilitate access to bamboo leaves. Red pandas have been recorded to use steep slopes of more than 20° and stumps exceeding a diameter of 30 cm (12 in). Red pandas observed in Phrumsengla National Park used foremost easterly and southerly slopes with a mean slope of 34° and a canopy cover of 66 per cent that were overgrown with bamboo about 23 m (75 ft) in height. In Dafengding Nature Reserve, it prefers steep south-facing slopes in winter and inhabits forests with bamboo 1.5-2.5 m (4 ft 11 in - 8 ft 2 in) tall. In Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, it inhabits mixed coniferous forest with a dense canopy cover of more than 75 per cent, steep slopes and a density of at least 70 bamboo plants/m2 (6.5 bamboo plants/sq ft). In some parts of China, the red panda coexists with the giant panda. In Fengtongzhai and Yele National Nature Reserves, red panda microhabitat is characterised by steep slopes with lots of bamboo stems, shrubs, fallen logs and stumps, whereas the giant panda prefers gentler slopes with taller but lesser amounts of bamboo and less habitat features overall.
Primary Food Source: Bamboo
The red panda is largely herbivorous, with bamboo constituting the major portion of its diet. It primarily consumes bamboo from the genera Phyllostachys, Sinarundinaria, Thamnocalamus, and Chimonobambusa. Studies conducted in Singalila National Park revealed that the diet of red pandas consisted of 40-83% Yushania maling and 51-91.2% Thamnocalamus spathiflorus bamboos, supplemented by bamboo shoots, Actinidia strigosa fruits, and seasonal berries.
Supplemental Foods
While bamboo forms the cornerstone of their diet, red pandas also consume fruits, blossoms, acorns, eggs, birds, and small mammals to supplement their nutritional intake. In Singalila National Park, red panda droppings contained remains of silky rose and bramble fruit species in the summer season, Actinidia callosa in the post-monsoon season, and Merrilliopanax alpinus, the whitebeam species Sorbus cuspidata, and tree rhododendron in both seasons.
Foraging and Eating Habits
The red panda uses its front paws to grab food, typically eating while sitting or standing. When foraging for bamboo, it grasps the plant by the stem and pulls it down to its jaws. It bites the leaves with the side of its cheek teeth, then shears, chews, and swallows. Smaller food items, such as blossoms, berries, and small leaves, are clipped by the incisors.
Digestive Challenges and Nutritional Needs
The red panda has the gastrointestinal tract of a carnivore, which presents challenges in digesting bamboo. Bamboo passes through its gut in two to four hours, necessitating the consumption of large quantities of the most nutritious plant matter. A red panda eats over 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) of fresh leaves or 4 kg (9 lb) of fresh shoots in a day, with crude proteins and fats being the most easily digested.
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The red panda must consume up to 30% of its body weight (in leaves) each day. Female red pandas can eat approximately 20,000 bamboo leaves in one day, which equals about 560 g of leaves.
Behavior
The red panda is difficult to observe in the wild, and most studies on its behaviour have taken place in captivity. The red panda appears to be both nocturnal and crepuscular, sleeping intermittently at night. It typically rests or sleeps in trees or other elevated spaces, stretched out prone on a branch with legs dangling when it is hot, and curled up with its hindlimb over the face when it is cold. It is adapted for climbing and descends to the ground head-first with the hindfeet holding on to the middle of the tree trunk. Adult pandas are generally solitary and territorial. Individuals mark their home range or territorial boundaries with urine, faeces and secretions from the anal and surrounding glands. Scent-marking is usually done on the ground, with males marking more often and for longer periods. In China's Wolong National Nature Reserve, the home range of a radio-collared female was 0.94 km2 (0.36 sq mi), while that of a male was 1.11 km2 (0.43 sq mi). A one-year-long monitoring study of ten red pandas in eastern Nepal showed that the four males had median home ranges of 1.73 km2 (0.67 sq mi) and the six females of 0.94 km2 (0.36 sq mi) within a forest cover of at least 19.2 ha (47 acres). The females travelled 419-841 m (1,375-2,759 ft) per day and the males 660-1,473 m (2,165-4,833 ft).
Growling, barking, grunting and squealing are produced during fights and aggressive chasing. Hooting is made in response to being approached by another individual. Bleating is associated with scent-marking and sniffing. They then turn their heads while jaw-clapping, move their heads laterally and lift a forepaw to strike. They stand on their hind legs, raise the forelimbs above the head and then pounce.
Reproduction
Red pandas are long-day breeders, reproducing after the winter solstice as daylight grows longer. Mating thus takes place from January to March, with births occurring from May to August. Reproduction is delayed by six months for captive pandas in the southern hemisphere. As the reproductive season begins, males and females interact more, and will rest, move, and feed near each other. An oestrous female will spend more time marking and males will inspect her anogenital region. Receptive females make tail-flicks and position themselves in a lordosis pose, with the front lowered to the ground and the spine curved. Copulation involves the male mounting the female from behind and on top, though face-to-face matings as well as belly-to-back matings while lying on the sides also occur. The male will grab the female by the sides with his front paws instead of biting her neck. Gestation lasts about 131 days. Prior to giving birth, the female selects a denning site, such as a tree, log or stump hollow or rock crevice, and builds a nest using material from nearby, such as twigs, sticks, branches, bark bits, leaves, grass and moss. Litters typically consist of one to four cubs that are born fully furred but blind. They are entirely dependent on their mother for the first three to four months until they first leave the nest. They nurse for their first five months. The bond between mother and offspring lasts until the next mating season. Cubs are fully grown at around 12 months and at around 18 months they reach sexual maturity. Two radio-collared cubs in eastern Nepal separated from their mothers at the age of 7-8 months and left their birth areas three weeks later.
Threats to the Red Panda Population
The red panda faces numerous threats, including habitat loss, poaching, and the illegal pet trade. Habitat loss is primarily attributed to logging, grazing livestock, demand for firewood, human encroachment, and farming. Herds of livestock can compete with red pandas for available bamboo leaves and degrade their habitat. Clearing land for crops reduces available food and shelter, while domestic dogs can hunt or transmit diseases, such as canine distemper, to red pandas.
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Poaching is also a major threat. In Nepal, 121 red panda skins were confiscated between 2008 and 2018. Traps meant for other wildlife have been recorded killing red pandas. In Myanmar, the red panda is threatened by hunting using guns and traps; since roads to the border with China were built starting in the early 2000s, red panda skins and live animals have been traded and smuggled across the border. In southwestern China, the red panda is hunted for its fur, especially for the highly valued bushy tails, from which hats are produced. The red panda population in China has been reported to have decreased by 40 per cent over the last 50 years, and the population in western Himalayan areas are considered to be smaller. Between 2005 and 2017, 35 live and seven dead red pandas were confiscated in Sichuan, and several traders were sentenced to 3-12 years of imprisonment. These threats are compounded by climate change, natural disasters, inadequate enforcement of laws and regulations, and limited investment in red panda conservation by local governments.
Conservation Efforts
The red panda is listed in CITES Appendix I and protected in all range countries, making hunting illegal. It has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2008 because the global population is estimated at 10,000 individuals, with a decreasing population trend. A red panda anti-poaching unit and community-based monitoring have been established in Langtang National Park. Since 2010, community-based conservation programmes have been initiated in 10 districts. Red pandas are endangered and are legally protected in India, Bhutan, China, Nepal and Myanmar. Researchers believe that the total population of red pandas has declined by 40 percent over the past two decades, and this decline is expected to continue. Red pandas are present in some protected areas throughout their range, including parks in Myanmar, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and China.
Red pandas have bred with some reliability in zoos throughout North America, Europe and Asia. This effort is crucial for maintaining genetic diversity and bolstering the population. Some of the difficulty in conserving red pandas relates to their unique habitat. These animals require a specific set of circumstances to optimize survival, including proximity to water sources, appropriate forest cover and altitude, and sufficient bamboo. As human encroachment continues to grow, these ideal habitats become increasingly more difficult to find.