Red pandas, the bushy-tailed and russet-furred bamboo munchers that dwell in Asian high forests, are not a single species but rather two distinct ones, according to the most comprehensive genetic study to date on these endangered mammals.

Scientists said on February 26 they found substantial divergences between the two species – Chinese red pandas and Himalayan red pandas – in three genetic markers in an analysis of DNA from 65 of the animals.

The recognition of the existence of two separate species could help guide conservation efforts for a mammal adored by many people even as its numbers dwindle in the wild, they added.

Chinese red pandas are found in northern Myanmar as well as Tibet Autonomous Region, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces in China, while Himalayan red pandas are native to Nepal, India, Bhutan and southern Tibet in China, the researchers said.

International experts have estimated a total population of roughly 10,000 red pandas in the wild.

"To conserve the genetic uniqueness of the two species, we should avoid their interbreeding in captivity," said Chinese Academy of Sciences conservation biologist Hu Yibo, who along with colleague Wei Fuwen led the study published in the journal Science Advances. "Interbreeding between species may harm the genetic adaptations already established for their local habitat environment."

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com.)