---
title: "What the sources say about the Red Panda | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "66 claims from the Red Panda profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Red Panda (*Ailurus fulgens*)

> 66 claims from the Red Panda profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Red Panda](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/red-panda/)

## Ailurus fulgens (red panda). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ailurus_fulgens/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| from Nepal to western Sichuan and Yunnan in China, between 2,200 and 4,800 meters | Red pandas are found throughout the Himalayan mountains between 2,200 and 4,800 meters in elevation in northern Burma, Nepal, Sikkim region of India, and the districts of western Sichuan and Yunnan in China (note: ADW is dated 2008; the Smithsonian's current page gives the same span (next claim) and genomic-2020 the same altitudes) |
| berries, blossoms, eggs | Red pandas eat berries, blossoms, bird eggs, bamboo leaves, and the small leaves of other plants. |
| weightKg: 5 | Range mass 3.7 to 6.2 kg (note: battleStats.weightKg, settled in #177: the middle of ADW's adult range. Every adult figure in the sources (San Diego 3 to 6.2 kg, Smithsonian 3.6 to 7.7 kg) is Light, where the name gave it Medium. Not in a curated matchup) |

## Red Panda. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/red-panda

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| bamboo-eating acrobats | red pandas are definitely acrobatic tree dwellers |
| Mostly temperate | Red pandas live mostly in cool, temperate forests with a shrubby understory dominated by thick bamboo ... In part of India, red pandas live in a tropical forest. |
| occasionally a small rodent | They may also eat eggs, small birds, and small rodents. |
| shares a name, a taste for bamboo and, in China, the same bamboo forests as the giant panda | In China, red pandas and giant pandas share the same habitat: bamboo forests. |
| Its gut can extract only about 24 percent of the bamboo it eats | Bamboo is not a great food source for energy and is hard to digest. In fact, red pandas digest only about 24 percent of the bamboo they eat. |
| so it needs to eat 20 to 30 percent of its own body weight every day, roughly 2 to 4 pounds (1 to 2 kilograms) | Bamboo is not a great food source for energy and is hard to digest. In fact, red pandas digest only about 24 percent of the bamboo they eat. Red pandas need to eat 20 to 30 percent of their body weight each day—about 2 to 4 pounds (1 to 2 kilograms) of bamboo shoots and leaves. (note: the 'so' follows the source's own sequence: poor energy and hard to digest, only 24 percent digested, so they need 20 to 30 percent of body weight a day) |
| San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance puts adults at 20 to 25 inches (51 to 64 centimeters) long, not counting a tail of 11 to 19 inches (28 to 49 centimeters) | Length: 20 to 25 inches (51 to 64 centimeters), not including tail ... Tail length: 11 to 19 inches (28 to 49 centimeters) (note: attributed because the Smithsonian's current page gives different figures (56 to 62.5 cm, tail 37 to 47.2 cm); those sit inside San Diego's ranges, so only the weights are set side by side) |
| makes up almost half the animal's total length | Almost half of the red panda's total body length is in its tail. |
| It gives females 6 to 10 pounds (3 to 4.5 kilograms) and males 10 to 14 pounds (4.5 to 6.2 kilograms) | Weight: Females - 6 to 10 pounds (3 to 4.5 kilograms); males - 10 to 14 pounds (4.5 to 6.2 kilograms) |
| San Diego says a red panda typically lives eight to ten years, and up to 15 in zoos | 8 to 10 years; up to 15 years in zoos (note: 'typically' reads San Diego's bare range the way ADW states the same figure ('the average is eight to ten'); the 23-year figure is kept to the Smithsonian) |
| helping it climb wet, slippery branches and walk on icy rocks | as an adult the feet are covered with hair to help the red panda climb on wet, slippery branches and walk on icy rocks or snow-covered ground |
| San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance says red panda numbers may have fallen by as much as 40 percent over the last 50 years | Red panda numbers may have decreased by as much as 40 percent over the last 50 years . |
| Estimates of the surviving population range from about 2,500 to 10,000 adults | the adult population is probably around 10,000 ... some estimate that only 2,500 adult red pandas remain in their native habitat |
| Dense fur covers even the soles of its feet, helping it climb wet, slippery branches and walk on icy rocks | The soles of the newborn's feet are bare, but as an adult the feet are covered with hair to help the red panda climb on wet, slippery branches and walk on icy rocks or snow-covered ground. |
| its bushy tail | With their bushy tail for balance |
| almost half its total body length | Almost half of the red panda's total body length is in its tail. |
| for an acrobat | red pandas are definitely acrobatic tree dwellers (note: vibe.reason, settled in #177: replaces 'bouncy forest acrobatics' and 'charming visual charisma') |

## Red Panda. Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/red-panda

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Ringed bushy tail | Their tails are marked with alternating red and buff rings ... Long, bushy tails help these arboreal animals maintain balance and protect them from harsh cold and winds. |
| false thumb wrist bone | Red pandas share the giant panda's pseudo-thumb, a modified wrist bone used to grasp bamboo when feeding. (note: backs the tagline's 'false thumb wrist bone'; the fuller mechanism sentence in the body has its own separate claim) |
| high Himalayan forests | Red pandas live in high-altitude, temperate forests with bamboo understories in the Himalayas and other high mountains. |
| for gripping bamboo | Red pandas share the giant panda's pseudo-thumb, a modified wrist bone used to grasp bamboo when feeding. (note: evidence-2005 says the red panda's false thumb more likely evolved for climbing, with manipulation developed secondarily; the page states its use, not its origin) |
| temperate, high-altitude forests with a bamboo understory in the Himalayas and other high mountains | Red pandas live in high-altitude, temperate forests with bamboo understories in the Himalayas and other high mountains. |
| from Nepal to western Sichuan and Yunnan in China | They range from northern Myanmar (Burma) to the west Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces of China. They are also found in suitable habitat in Nepal, India and Tibet. |
| Bamboo leaf tips and shoots, plus berries, blossoms, eggs, insects, and occasionally a small rodent | red pandas feed selectively on the most nutritious leaf tips and, when available, tender shoots ... They may also forage for roots, succulent grasses, fruits, insects and grubs, and are known to occasionally kill and eat birds and small mammals. |
| A false thumb: an enlarged wrist bone (the radial sesamoid) it uses to grasp bamboo. | Red pandas share the giant panda's pseudo-thumb, a modified wrist bone used to grasp bamboo when feeding. |
| Naturalists first filed it with raccoons, then with bears | They were first described as members of the raccoon family ( Procyonidae ) ... they were assigned to the bear family ( Ursidae ). |
| genetic research gave it a family of its own: Ailuridae | Most recent genetic research, however, places red pandas in their own, independent family: Ailuridae |
| of which the red panda is the only living member | Red pandas are the only living member of the family Ailuridae . |
| Its closest living relatives are probably in the group that includes skunks, raccoons and weasels | are probably most closely related to the group that includes skunks, raccoons and weasels (note: 'closest' paraphrases the quote's own 'most closely related') |
| Bamboo makes up about 95 percent of a red panda's diet | Bamboo constitutes about 95% of the red panda's diet. |
| unlike a giant panda, which eats nearly every above-ground part of the plant, a red panda feeds selectively: choosing the most nutritious leaf tips and, when available, tender shoots | Unlike giant pandas that feed on nearly every above-ground portion of bamboo (including the culm, or woody stem), red pandas feed selectively on the most nutritious leaf tips and, when available, tender shoots. |
| Smithsonian's National Zoo says adults typically weigh 8 to 17 pounds (3.6 to 7.7 kilograms) | Adult red pandas typically weigh between 8 and 17 pounds (3.6 and 7.7 kilograms) |
| the Smithsonian says they may live as long as 23 | Red pandas may live as long as 23 years. |
| Dense fur covers even the soles of its feet | Dense fur completely covers their feet |
| Extremely flexible ankles, with a fibula that can rotate on its own axis, let it climb straight down a tree trunk headfirst | Their ankles are extremely flexible, and the fibula and tibia are attached in such a way as to allow the fibula to rotate about its axis. These features make it possible for red pandas to adeptly climb headfirst down tree trunks. |
| In the cold it curls into a tight ball to conserve body heat | curling into a tight ball to conserve body heat and energy expenditure in the cold |
| its long, bushy tail helps shield it from harsh cold and wind | Long, bushy tails help these arboreal animals maintain balance and protect them from harsh cold and winds. |
| A red panda tests odors using the underside of its tongue, which has a cone-like structure for collecting liquid and carrying it close to a gland inside its mouth. It is the only carnivore with this adaptation. | The red panda tests odors using the underside of its tongue, which has a cone-like structure for collecting liquid and bringing it close to a gland inside its mouth. It is the only carnivore with this adaptation. |
| Smithsonian's National Zoo says researchers believe the population fell 40 percent in the past two decades | Researchers believe that the total population of red pandas has declined by 40 percent over the past two decades. |
| They were first classified with raccoons, then, citing some agreement in DNA, moved in with bears | first described as members of the raccoon family ( Procyonidae ) ... Later, due to some agreements in DNA, they were assigned to the bear family ( Ursidae ). |
| genetic research now places them in their own family, Ailuridae | Most recent genetic research, however, places red pandas in their own, independent family: Ailuridae |
| of which they are the only living member | Red pandas are the only living member of the family Ailuridae . |
| They are probably most closely related to the group that includes weasels, raccoons and skunks | are probably most closely related to the group that includes skunks, raccoons and weasels |
| helps shield it from harsh cold and wind | Long, bushy tails help these arboreal animals maintain balance and protect them from harsh cold and winds. |
| In cold weather a red panda curls into a tight ball to conserve body heat. | curling into a tight ball to conserve body heat and energy expenditure in the cold |
| whose extremely flexible ankles let it climb headfirst down tree trunks | Their ankles are extremely flexible, and the fibula and tibia are attached in such a way as to allow the fibula to rotate about its axis. These features make it possible for red pandas to adeptly climb headfirst down tree trunks. (note: vibe.reason, settled in #177) |

## Glatston, Wei & Sherpa (2015). Ailurus fulgens. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T714A110023718.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2015-4.rlts.t714a45195924.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The IUCN Red List, which assessed the red panda as a single species in 2015, lists it as Endangered | IUCN Red List category: Endangered (EN). Ailurus fulgens F.G. Cuvier, 1825 (note: also backs stats.conservationStatus; 2015 is the assessment's year in the reference, and the assessed taxon is the one species Ailurus fulgens. The assessment predates the 2020 two-species study, so the page no longer says 'Both are Endangered') |

## Salesa et al. (2005). Evidence of a false thumb in a fossil carnivore clarifies the evolution of pandas. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0504899102

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Both pandas share a "false thumb," an enlarged wrist bone called the radial sesamoid that works like an opposable digit | The "false thumb" of pandas is a carpal bone, the radial sesamoid, which has been enlarged and functions as an opposable thumb. |
| an enlarged wrist bone (the radial sesamoid) | The "false thumb" of pandas is a carpal bone, the radial sesamoid, which has been enlarged and functions as an opposable thumb. |
| Fossils of a Miocene red panda relative found in Spain show it already had one of its own | The discovery of previously unknown postcranial remains of a Miocene red panda relative, Simocyon batalleri, from the Spanish site of Batallones-1 (Madrid), now shows that this animal had a false thumb. |
| the two thumbs evolved independently | indicates independent evolution in both pandas |
| It is an enlarged wrist bone, the radial sesamoid, that works like an opposable thumb | The "false thumb" of pandas is a carpal bone, the radial sesamoid, which has been enlarged and functions as an opposable thumb. |
| a Miocene red panda relative found as a fossil in Spain already had a false thumb of its own, which indicates that the two thumbs evolved independently | Miocene red panda relative, Simocyon batalleri, from the Spanish site of Batallones-1 (Madrid), now shows that this animal had a false thumb ... indicates independent evolution in both pandas |

## Hu et al. (2017). Comparative genomics reveals convergent evolution between the bamboo-eating giant and red pandas. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1613870114

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Kinship is another matter. | The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and red panda (Ailurus fulgens) belong to different families in the order Carnivora |

## Hu et al. (2020). Genomic evidence for two phylogenetic species and long-term population bottlenecks in red pandas. Science Advances.

https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax5751

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| between 2,200 and 4,800 meters | restricted at the southeastern and southern edges of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau within an altitude range of 2200 to 4800 m |
| One Name, Two Species? | it is reasonable to propose two species (note: heading kept as a question: the paper proposes two species, the Smithsonian says genetic studies 'suggest' it, and the Red List still assesses one) |
| A study of 65 whole genomes argues that "the red panda" is really two species | Data from 65 whole genomes, 49 Y-chromosomes, and 49 mitochondrial genomes provide the first comprehensive genetic evidence for species divergence in red pandas ... these data thus clearly define two phylogenetic species in red pandas. (note: 'argues' matches the paper's own 'it is reasonable to propose two species' and the Smithsonian's 'new genetic studies suggest'; the Red List still assesses one species) |
| is really two species: a Himalayan red panda and a Chinese red panda | Under the phylogenetic species concept ( 16 ), it is reasonable to propose two species: the Himalayan red panda ( A. fulgens ) and the Chinese red panda ( A. styani ) |
| The two split apart about 220,000 years ago, around the time a glaciation bottlenecked both populations | divergence between the Himalayan (MH) and Chinese red pandas (EH-GLG, XXL-LS, and QL) occurred 0.22 Ma ago, coincident with the first population bottleneck of the two species caused by the Penultimate Glaciation. (note: 0.22 Ma (million years) converted to 220,000 years) |

## Zhu et al. (2018). Potential Mechanism of Detoxification of Cyanide Compounds by Gut Microbiomes of Bamboo-Eating Pandas. mSphere.

https://doi.org/10.1128/msphere.00229-18

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Bamboo contains toxic cyanide compounds | Bamboo is extraordinarily rich in plant secondary metabolites, such as allied phenolic and polyphenolic compounds and even toxic cyanide compounds. |
| members of the order Carnivora, which includes the red panda, have low levels of a key cyanide-clearing enzyme in their tissues compared with plant-eaters | The giant and red pandas are bamboo-eating specialists within the mammalian order Carnivora. Bamboo contains abundant plant secondary metabolites (e.g., cyanide-containing compounds). However, Carnivora species, including the giant panda, have deficient levels of rhodanese (one of the essential cyanide detoxification enzymes) in their tissues compared with the same tissues of herbivores. (note: the paper states this for Carnivora species and measured it in the giant panda, not the red panda, so the page says it of the order and names the red panda only as a member) |
| A red panda's gut bacteria may pick up the slack: in one study, they were significantly richer in genes likely to code for cyanide-degrading enzymes than the gut bacteria of typical plant-eating mammals | bamboo-eating pandas' gut microbiomes were significantly enriched in putative genes coding for enzymes related to cyanide degradation (e.g., rhodanese) compared with the gut microbiomes of typical herbivorous mammals (note: 'may' carries the paper's own hedge: its title calls this a 'Potential Mechanism', the genes are 'putative', and it proposes germ-free mouse transplants to measure the microbes' contribution) |
| one of the traits red pandas share with the giant panda for coping with a bamboo diet | the enrichment of putative cyanide-digesting gut microbes ... show that the giant panda and red panda have evolved some common traits to adapt to their bamboo diet (note: 'one of the traits' keeps the source's 'some': the microbe enrichment is one of the several common traits the sentence lists, alongside pseudothumbs and genomic signatures) |