I photographed this red panda (Ailurus fulgens) this past weekend in Washington, D.C. at the National Zoo. According to Wikipedia, red pandas are native to the Himalayas and southwestern China. Like the better-known giant pandas, red pandas eat mostly bamboo, although they may also eat eggs, insects, birds, and small mammals.
I will probably post a few more shots of this red panda in the next few days, when I have gone through my zoo photos. However, I wanted to make a preliminary introduction of this delightful animal, suspecting that many of you may be unaware of the existence of a red panda. (Previously red pandas were classified in the families of racoons and bears, but now they have their own family and are the only extant species of the genus Ailurus.)
Red panda at the National Zoo
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 