Little Panda - description, habitat, lifestyle

A bright red-haired member of the family is almost nothing like ordinary pandas. Otherwise, it is called a red cat, according to external data there are similarities with raccoons. These nimble and funny animals are often the protagonists of the video. They are distinguished by their vigor, they climb trees perfectly and do not have the clumsiness that most other pandas have. In today's article we will study everything that affects these furry creatures, we will get acquainted with the features in order.

Description

1. By their overall characteristics, these animals grow a little more than domesticated cats, they can be compared with Meinkun. According to the body, members of the family grow to 60 cm. Maximum with a body weight of 5 kg. A distinctive feature is considered an elongated tail, which in size can grow up to half a meter.The elongated hull format, the coat is thick, dense and standing. Because of this, the animal appears to be thick and large in size than it actually is.
2. Small pandochki are distinguished by small rounded erect ears. The muzzle is dull, sweet, lips around the edges are pigmented black, so the animal seems to be smiling. The eyes are dark, shiny. On the tail there are longitudinal stripes wrapping around it from all sides. Individuals of female and male affiliation do not have bright differences between themselves. Is that the females have a neater head and less the body itself.
3. Paws shortened and dense, brushes lumpy and collected, strongly hairy. They are adapted for movement on slippery terrain and snow. These pandas love winter, their fur is thick and warming. Claws curved, help animals climb on trees and other heights. When walking, the hands do not unfold completely, the panda steps on them only by half.
4. These predators have a curved finger located just below the wrist. It is directed away from the rest of the fingers side, helps grab the roots and other parts of plants.As for the shade of the coat, it is not always red-red. Some pandos living in the west can be colored brown-yellow. The red pigment is needed by those predators that mask themselves among the lichens in China.

Lifestyle

1. These members of the family prefer to live apart, they do not like to gather in large groups. Some partners even diverge for the entire season, except for the mating period. However, 2-3 individuals can get along and do it well. As for the territory, there is at least 5 square meters per male. km land. Individuals of female sex belong to half the area.
2. The boundaries of their possessions are necessarily marked with a special secret, which is located near the anus and on the feet of the animal. Also marks are placed feces and urine. By smell, other members of the group can determine what gender, age category and fertility the owner of the site.
3. These animals prefer to stay awake at dusk. In the daytime they sleep off, occupying free hollows or special houses built on trees.During sleep, they can cover their heads with their tails, curl up in a ball, or sit and put their heads on the chest. Sleeping pandochki always cause affection.
4. When it comes to the warm season, members of the family do not hide in the nests. They stretch their belly down on the branches and roll around, lowering their paws and tail. After sleep, an obligatory washing procedure follows, as the represented individuals are quite clean. They lick, rub, do a massage on trees or rocks.
5. An interesting feature is that the tail of the animal acts as a balancing, when the pet jumps from branch to branch or crawls through the trees. However, as soon as he descends to the ground, the tail loses this function. When the panda comes down from the top, it makes it head down. Tail she can twist the trunk or follow the balance.
6. These animals love friable snow and quickly move along it. They are stable on ice, they run beautifully on the ground, occasionally standing on their hind legs. Pandas are distinguished by their playfulness, especially when they live in groups. They can even attack a stone, and this game will be one-sided.

Lifespan

1. In their natural habitat, members of the family live for about 10 years, which is almost half the duration of captivity. The record of a long-lived panda is recorded, which turned 18 years old at the zoo.
2. The presented breed group is able to control the metabolism, taking care of its duration of existence. They reduce or increase the performance of the norm, in this regard, becoming similar to the notorious sloths.
3. When it comes to existence in conditions of cold climatic regions, pandas reduce energy consumption, saving their energy. Otherwise they would not be able to warm up. From the techniques, it is possible to single out the peculiarity of folding into a ball, the animal looks like a fluff ball of wool.

Habitat

1. It is impossible to call these medium-sized individuals very common. They mainly live in Nepal, China, the northeastern part of India. From Nepal, closer to the west, individuals of this breed were not met. Homeland are the Himalayan Mountains, their south-eastern part. Predatory individuals can climb 3-4 km. upwards.However, the ancestors of today's pandas met at a higher altitude, evidence of this are found remains.
2. If you follow the data of experts, pandas have greatly reduced their distribution area due to weather conditions. The climate is constantly changing, and they need moderate rates with temperatures around 15-20 degrees. Therefore, the animals began to look for suitable places for themselves, leaving where they are not comfortable.
3. Members of the family live among the trees, like larch, pine needles. Can live in a mixed lane. Pandas live in comparative damp, where lichens and moss grow well. That is why they need such a fur coat, which allows to mask.
4. Despite the peaceful nature of these animals, they still have enemies in their natural environment. These include snow leopards and wolves. However, these predators are becoming less, respectively, reducing the risk of attacks on pandas. Individuals are trying to seek salvation in high trees. They quickly climb up, then jump from one branch to another.
5. If a predator caught a panda on the ground, it starts to bend in an arc, showing its anger.It can periodically get up on its hind legs, after which it emits an unpleasant musky smell. It serves to scare away enemies. Eyewitnesses claimed that these pandas scream loudly. However, their voice is quiet and tender similar to the bird's.

Diet

1. It is worth noting an interesting fact that for about 13 hours, the individuals in question take up the search and eating of food. Pandas feed themselves mainly on the ground. In addition, these animals are very strange predators. The basis of the diet includes food of plant origin.
2. The represented individuals love berries, mushrooms, acorns, bamboo shoots and leaves, lichens, succulent herbs, roots and various fruits. The real qualities of a predator in such an animal wake up closer to winter. At such times, pandas begin active hunting for bird eggs, rodents and insects. Thus, they are stored energy.
3. Like any predator, the stomach of pandas can hardly digest plant fibers due to the short intestine. It is worth noting that such animals spend only a quarter of the accumulated energy. The main source of which is bamboo. Pandas chew it thoroughly with their 38 teeth.
4. The presented individuals prefer exclusively tender and young shoots. During the day, the animal eats about 4 kg. such food. Another 1.5 kg is added to this volume. green leaves. Despite the volume of feed, it is low in calories. It is interesting that in captivity such animals completely refuse from any animal food.

Breeding

1. As for the mating season, in the individuals in question it mainly occurs in the beginning or in the middle of winter. At this time, males and females behave very excitedly. They are constantly in contact. Males constantly around mark territory. As for the females, they all show that they are ready to mate.
2. The activity of females can be explained by the fact that estrus occurs only once a year. Its duration does not exceed days. As a result, the female is pregnant for about 4 months. Surprisingly, the fetus begins to develop only 40 days. At this time, the female begins to equip the nest. She chooses a crevice in a rock or a hollow in a tree.
3. Then the animal lines it with grass, leaves and twigs. The period of childbirth in such animals falls in the spring or early summer.As a result, only one baby is born, in rare cases there may be more. After birth, the young are immediately covered with fur. They are completely defenseless and blind.
4. For some time, the female constantly licks babies to put smell marks. That way, when a mother comes home every time, she will recognize her offspring. In the first week, the mother does not leave the dwelling and is constantly with the young. After this time, she begins to hunt and returns home only to feed the cubs.
5. After 3 weeks the babies become sighted, but they remain in the dwelling for about 3 months. At this age, they independently try to get out at night. As soon as pandas turn six months old, they stop feeding on mother's milk. The offspring are strongly attached to the mother, but they do not know the father at all.
6. Kinship is interrupted at a time when the female begins to re-prepare for the mating period. At this time she is extremely irritable. At about 1 year old, youngsters become the same size as adults. They reach sexual maturity closer to 2 years.

View status

1. The represented individuals are listed in the Red Book and are protected. The problem is that this view is on the verge of extinction.
2. The population of pandas over the past 20 years has halved. Unfortunately, zoologists claim that this trend will continue for another 3 generations.

There are about 20 thousand such individuals in the world. Every year their number is reduced. The reason for this is man. Due to deforestation and the destruction of natural habitats, animals are dying out. In addition, aborigines constantly hunt pandas.

Video: Little Panda (Ailurus fulgens)