Although technically carnivores, red pandas have turned "vegetarian," mainly feeding on bamboo shoots and leaves, sometimes fruits and flowers. They spend most of their lives on trees and live alongside giant pandas in Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Sichuan Province.
There are now two distinct red panda species: the Chinese red panda and the Himalayan red panda. They look almost the same. However, Chinese red pandas have redder fur and striped tail rings, while Himalayan pandas have whiter faces. In China, red pandas mostly inhabit southwest China's Sichuan and Yunnan provinces and Tibet Autonomous Region.
As the only species remaining in their taxonomic family, red pandas are worth attention and protection. They are now under second-class state protection in China.
For more:
Wildlife of Wolong: The solitary night hunter
Wildlife of Wolong: The 'rainbow' in the misty mountain
Wildlife of Wolong: The cute pika catcher
Wildlife of Wolong: The deer with 'vampire fangs'
(All photos taken by He Xiao'an, head of the Publicity Department of Wolong National Nature Reserve Administration in Sichuan Province)
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