arboreal arboreal crepuscular ( nocturnal

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Aubrey Hodge
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1 The information listed here should help you understand some of the terms that you may see on the red panda fact sheet and the red panda bag talking points. 1

Panda comes from the Nepali word ponya, which means bamboo or plant eating animal. Ailurus fulgens literally means fire-colored cat and red pandas are sometimes referred to as firefox or lesser panda.

2 Panda comes from the Nepali word ponya, which means bamboo or plant eating animal. Ailurus fulgens literally means fire-colored cat and red pandas are sometimes referred to as firefox or lesser panda. Red pandas are considered members of their own family Ailuridae. They are more closely related to the raccoon then they are to giant pandas. Giant pandas are considered bears in the Family Ursidae. 2

3 The red panda lives mostly in the trees; they are arboreal. They are very agile climbers with very flexible joints and flexible hip and shoulder regions. They always descend head first, gripping trunk with hind claws. Their long, bushy tail is used for support and balance during arboreal locomotion. Red Pandas are most active from dawn to dusk. Red pandas are considered crepuscular (active after dawn and immediately before dusk) and/or nocturnal (active at night). Climate is generally cool temperate and rainy with some snowfall in the winter months thus thick fur provides warmth in their cold environment and paw pads are covered with hair for walking on snow/cold ground. 3

4 Members of Order Carnivora descended from ancestors that had a primarily meat-based diet (carnivorous). The red panda has many characteristics of a carnivore, including teeth designed for tearing and shredding meat. However, the red pandas are mainly folivorous (they eat leaves) and have adapted to a highly specialized bamboo diet. They are primarily herbivores but they do eat some eggs, birds, insects and small mammals and thus may also be considered omnivores. 4

5 The front paws of the red panda abnormally enlarged wrist bones which act as thumbs. This thumb allows the species to grip and handle bamboo with remarkable dexterity and allows it to grip branches when climbing. Bamboo is very high in indigestible fiber, making it extraordinarily difficult for red pandas to extract the nutrients that they need. Red pandas only extract about one quarter of the nutrients from bamboo, and food passes through their digestive tract quite quickly. Their enlarged salivary glands help them to break down the plant material. A red panda s gut is not specialized to handle plant matter as the large number of ruminant; cows, giraffes, and other herbivorous mammals normally have extra fermentation chambers in their guts. A red panda s digestive tract is relatively short which is characteristic of the carnivores. Red pandas select the more tender new bamboo growth of stem and leaf, and chews more fastidiously than the giant pandas; this selectivity aids in digestion. To cope with the lack of food during the winter months, red pandas have evolved several ways of meeting their energy demands. They have a very low metabolic rate (almost as low as sloths), and can slow their metabolism even further in colder temperatures. 5

6 Newborns are born altricial; they are small, blind and helpless. Young red pandas grow relatively slowly, so they develop extended associations with their mothers that last for over a year. During this time, the young learn the necessary skills they need for their survival. 6

7 Red pandas are solitary, except females with young, coming together only for annual breeding season. The red panda is territorial. Territories are defined by scent marking; they are marked with urine and a weak musk-smelling secretion from their anal glands. They have also been known to use communal latrine sites to stake out territory and share information with others. Trails are automatically marked by secretion from glands on soles of feet. Red pandas tend to have overlapping home ranges in which the individuals rarely interact with each other. 7

8 Enrichment promotes a species natural behavior by giving the animal options and choices for behavior. 8

9 Red pandas are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and is on CITES Appendix I. The population continues to decline and is threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and inbreeding depression, although red pandas are protected by national laws in their range countries. There are fewer than 10,000 adult red pandas. Red pandas have a slow rate of reproduction and have a great deal of difficulty recovering from population declines. The Red Panda Species Survival Program (SSP) keeps a studbook of the zoos red pandas and determines which animals should be mated, and develops long-term research and management strategies for the species. 9

Definition: Arboreal: pertaining to moving about, living in or among trees. Nocturnal: active at night. Crepuscular: active primarily during twilight (i.e., the period immediately after dawn and that immediately before dusk).

10 Definition: Arboreal: pertaining to moving about, living in or among trees. Nocturnal: active at night. Crepuscular: active primarily during twilight (i.e., the period immediately after dawn and that immediately before dusk). Folivore: an animal that is chiefly leaf-eating. Herbivore: an animal that feeds on grass and other plants. Omnivore: an animal that feeds on both plants and animals. Altricial: helpless at birth or hatching and requiring parental care for a period of time Solitary: the state of being alone or in solitude. Territorial: the methods by which an animal, or group of animals, protects its territory from incursions by others of its species. Territorial boundaries may be marked by sounds such as bird song, or scents such as pheromones secreted by the skin glands of many mammals. Scent marking or territorial marking: a behavior used by animals to identify their territory. Odorous substances are deposited by a mammal from a scent gland, in the urine or feces. IUCN: The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources maintains a Red List of threatened species which is used for guiding conservation action and policy decisions. Endangered: Taxa in danger of extinction and whose survival is unlikely if the causal factors continue operating. CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. CITES provides framework for participation by governments in regulating trade in wildlife specimens and conservation efforts; governments adopt own laws at national level enforcing conservation. CITES also provides control of trade for selected species considered endangered. CITES Appendix I: includes species threatened with extinction. Trade in specimens of these species is permitted only in exceptional circumstances. Species Survival Plans (SSPs): are management programs designed to ensure the survival of threatened or endangered species that live in zoos or aquariums. 10

Conserving the Red Panda. Austine Decker

Conserving the Red Panda. Austine Decker Conserving the Red Panda Austine Decker Audience and Scope The purpose of this factsheet is to give an overview of the mammals known commonly as red pandas. Time will be spent discussing the red pandas