Ailurus fulgens, Cuvier, 1825

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Ailuridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 498-503 : 503

Red Panda

Ailurus fulgens

French: Panda roux / German: Kleiner Panda / Spanish: Panda rojo

Other common names: Lesser Panda, Fire Fox, Golden Dog, Bear Cat

Taxonomy. Ailurus fulgens Cuvier, 1825 ,

Nepal. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

A. f. fulgens Cuvier, 1825 — E Himalayas in Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sikkim; China (S & SE Xizang & NW Yunnan), NE India (Meghalaya), and N Myanmar.

A. f. styani Thomas, 1902 — China (W Sichuan & N Yunnan).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 51-73 cm, tail 28-49 cm; weight 3-6 kg. Head round, muzzle short, ears large and pointed. Muzzle, lips, cheeks, and edges ofears white, eyes with small dark patches. Dorsal pelage chestnut brown, ventral pelage and limbs black. Tail bushy, with alternate red and buff colored rings. Feet with hairysoles, and claws semi-retractile. Females have eight mammae. Forepaw with elongated radial sesamoid. Skull robust, with broad zygomatic arches and large occipital condyles. Teeth heavily cusped, with elaborate crown patterns. Compared with fulgens, styani is distinguishable by its longer winter coat, darker bodycolor, larger skull, and more robust teeth.

Habitat. Temperate forests of mountains at elevations of 1500-4800 m. In Meghalaya of India, in tropical forests at much lower elevations, between 700-1400 m. Typically in forests with bamboo-thicket understory. High bamboo cover, bamboo height, and canopy cover are important; preferred habitats have a high density ofshrubs, fallen logs, and tree stumps, yielding easy access to bambooleaves.

Food and Feeding. Diet largely vegetarian, 80-90% consisting of bamboo leaves, new shoots important in spring, fruits eaten in late summer and autumn. Usually feeds on the most nutritious bamboospecies in its habitat. Also eats roots, lichens, small vertebrates, birds eggs, insects and grubs.

Activity patterns. Captive animals are nocturnal and crepuscular, and exhibit a polyphasic activity pattern throughout the night. In the wild, the Red Panda was thought to be most active at dawn, dusk, and at night, but several recent studies have consistently shown it is more active in the daytime than at night. In Wolong Nature Reserve, China, a subadult female, a female, and a male were reported to be active 36:5%, 49%, and 45% of the time, respectively. In Fengtongzhai Nature Reserve, bordering the former reserve on the north, six radio-collared Red Pandas had an average dailyactivity rate of 48-6%, with two peaks from 7:00 h to 10:00 h and from 17:00 h to 18:00 h. Generally, numerous periods ofrest are interspersed with frequent activity periods.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. A subadult female in Wolong Reserve occupied a home range of 3-43 km, with a mean linear daily movement of 481 m. Subsequent research in the same area showedthat a female and a male possessed home ranges of 0-94 km * and 1-11 km?®, with a daily distance movedof 235 m and 325 m, respectively. In Fengtongzhai Reserve, the daily movement distance was 461 m and the home range covered 2-34 km ” for six collared individuals. Intrasexual and intersexual overlapping of home ranges occurred extensively. Perhaps due to difference in habitat quality and population density, both the females and males in Langtang Nature Reserve, Nepal, had larger home ranges (1-02 to 9-62 km *) than those in Sichuan, China. Several studies reported that Red Pandas live in groups ofthree to five individuals with blood relationships. Other studies found the Red Panda solitary outside the breeding season, with territories well posted by scent marking. Olfactory communication is the primary methodof conveying social signals, through the secretions from anogenital glands deposited in the environment. Secretions from foreskin glands and glands on the soles of the feet can impart an individual’s information, too. Red Pandas leave droppings in groups, and their repeatedly-used defecation sites (latrines) probably facilitate communication among neighbors.

Breeding. Both sexes sexually mature at 18-20 months and breeding behavioris strictly seasonal. Mating seasonis from early January to mid-March. Females are considered polyestrous, ovulation is induced. Mean gestation length in captivity 135 days, with range of 114 to 145 days. Births occur in June and July in hollow trees or rock crevices. Litter size one to four with a mode oftwo, extreme value offive. Neonates weigh 110 -130 g in captivity. They remain essentially immobile in the first 7-10 days except when nursing. Eyes open by day 18, first excursions out ofnest at approximately 90 days. Adult size is reached at twelve months ofage.

Status and Conservation. CITES Apendix I. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. Global population estimatedat 16,000-20,000, in estimated area of 69,900 Km?. In China, the population decreased byup to 40% due to habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, trade, forest fires, road construction, and otherdisturbances during the past 50 years, and became extinct in Guizhou, Gansu, Shaanxi, and Qinghai provinces. Protected in all countries where it now occurs with 43, 20, 5, and 7 protected areas established in China, India, Bhutan, and Nepal, respectively.

Bibliography. Bininda-Edmonds (2004), Choudhury (2001), Dawkins (1888), Endo et al. (1999), Flynn & Nedbal (1998), Flynn et al. (2000), Fox et al. (1996), Hu (1991), Hu & Wang (1984), IUCN (2008), Johnson, K.G. et al. (1988a), Li, C. et al. (2003), Li, M. et al. (2004), Liu et al. (2003, 2004), MacClintock (1988), Nowak (1999), Pen (1962), Pradhan et al. (2001), Rabinowitz & Khaing (1998), Reid, Hu & Huang (1991), Roberts & Gittleman (1984), Spanner et al. (1997), Tedford & Gustavson (1977), Wei, Feng, Wang & Hu (1999, 2000), Wei, Feng, Wang & Li (1999), Wei, Feng, Wang, Zhou & Hu (1999), Wei, LU et al. (2005), Wei, Wang et al. (2000), Yonzon & Hunter (1991a, 1991b), Zhang, Wei, Li & Hu (2006), Zhang, Wei, Li, Zhang. et al. (2004).

Figures

Red Panda

Subspecies and Distribution. A. f. fulgens Cuvier, 1825 — E Himalayas in Bhutan , India , Nepal , Sikkim; China (S & SE Xizang & NW Yunnan), NE India (Meghalaya), and N Myanmar . A. f. styani Thomas, 1902 — China (W Sichuan & N Yunnan).