Red panda

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ที่มา  :  masterok.livejournal.com

And remember, we recently considered LARGE Plush Panda , let's now look at their relatives, but red:-)

Lesser or Red Panda (lat. Ailurus fulgens - «cat painted like fire", "cat-bear", "fire cat").
In China, because of the color and the similarity in size to a fox red panda called hunho - "fire fox" (English. Firefox), a phrase used by the company Mozilla, calling its browser "Mozilla Firefox".
Modern, poetic and incredibly suitable Minor panda called "shining, bright cat," suggested the French naturalist and scientist F.Kyuve.

 

Interesting history of the discovery and description of the small panda. Written mention of this beast in China date back to the XIII century, but the Europeans learned about it only in the XIX century. Officially "introduced" it to the public in 1821, the English general and naturalist Thomas Hardwicke, collect material in the territory of the English colonies. He proposed to call this animal the word "XXa» (wha) - one of his Chinese name based on the simulation of issued thereby "XXa 'sounds. In addition, the general said, the Chinese call it the "Khan-ho» (hun-ho) and "punya» (poonya).

However, Hardwick failed to become the "godfather" of the newly opened animal. He paused to return to England with his materials, and the Latin name - Ailurus fulgens, which can be translated as "shining cat" - a new animal had to give the French naturalist Frederick Cuvier. British scientific community like "theft" enraged, but adopted by the naturalists rule once given the scientific name of the organism can no longer be changed. A "pioneer" species is the one who is the name assigned to it.

However, writes zoologist Miles Roberts, maybe it's for the best. After poetic epithet "shining", "bright" is much better suited for such a beautiful animal than incomprehensible "XXa." Frederick Cuvier himself wrote about the new animal as a "perfect creation, one of the cutest pets."

Did not catch the name of the proposed General Hardwick, and as the English name of the animal. Although the word «wha» sometimes can be found in English literature, but more general compatriots had to taste another Chinese name - «poonya», which they quickly remade in «panda». So "XXa" became a panda.

When in 1869, Pierre Armand David, a French missionary in China and passionate naturalist, said the new beasts of prey, which has a similar structure of the teeth and eating bamboo, it has also been called a panda. And since this animal was much larger, it is natural that it became known as the "Big Panda" and "XXa", respectively, became panda small, red or - more often now it is mentioned under this name.

And then on the small panda long forgotten. All the attention has been focused on the "bamboo bear". Detailed study of the features of biology "XXa" - first in zoos, and then in the field of natural habitats - only started recently.

On the giant panda know, probably all. This is a large black-and-white "bear" became a symbol of the World Wildlife Fund and the inverse image of the cute toys. But his relative - small or red, panda - known for much less. And for good reason. This animal, though inferior to the giant panda in size, at least pretty. Luxury thick red-haired coat, short light muzzle, large wide-set, trimmed with fur ears, a long bushy tail with black stripes ... size red panda little more domestic cat body length - 50-60 cm, tail - 30-50 cm weight - about 5 kg.

Widespread red panda in southwestern China, Nepal, Burma (Myanmar), Bhutan and the north-east of India and meets here in mountain areas - at an altitude of 2000 to 4800 m above sea level. So although the range of this animal is located at a latitude of the Persian Gulf, the climate in its habitat is temperate, one might even say, cool. However, the air temperature is relatively constant throughout the year, and the winter and summer differ more rainfall. But really dry in those places, too, never happens - rain, constant fogs ... In short - cool and damp. And forests growing under these conditions, does not rain, and mixed - from conifers (mainly fir) and deciduous species, with a dense undergrowth of rhododendron and especially bamboo. This is its forests and inhabited by the red panda.

The feet are short, strong, with poluvtyazhnymi claws that help the panda easily climb trees and go down with them. Firefox lives up to its name. Color bright red panda or even red with orange. Muzzle panda stretched and really looks like a fox.
In appearance is really little to do with the "Big Panda". Archaeological excavations have shown that the Lesser panda is a distant relative of the giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). Their common ancestor supposedly lived millions of years ago. He was widespread in Eurasia.
Red panda fossils were found in the area from the eastern to the western China and the UK. Archaeologists have found the remains of the Lesser pandas, even in North America (in the states of Tennessee and Washington), and suggested that it could be a new subspecies of Red Panda, who lived in the Miocene.






Inhabits panda in Yunnan and Sichuan in China, northern Burma, Bhutan, Nepal and northeastern India. There are two subspecies of the Little Panda, existing today. First - Western Malaya (red) panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) lives in the western part of the above-mentioned region (Nepal, Bhutan). The second subspecies - Small (red) Stayana panda (Ailurus fulgens) is living in the east or north-east of its range (southern China and northern Myanmar).
Lesser panda Stayana presumably slightly larger and much darker than its western cousin, although a large number of variations on the theme of "color-size" and there is a subspecies within a small panda. In this regard, you can find a lot of individuals are not red, but rather tan.
Lesser panda fashionista and beauty. She has a bushy tail and very long beautiful claws on its feet.
Small red or pandas are primarily nocturnal, or rather twilight-night lifestyle, and a day in most cases they are asleep. Bed for Firefox is a warm and cozy hollow in which panda is sleeping curled up and closed his eyes fluffy tail.







Overall Lesser panda in a position similar to a domestic cat or a fox. Normally, the voice of the Little panda - a short faint cries resembling a bird chirping. It may also issue a series of whistles and snorts when frightened.
Although the panda - representative of group of prey, young leaves and bamboo shoots up 95% of the diet of this species. The remaining 5% - this is different fruits, berries, mushrooms, bird eggs and small rodents if tucked, of course.

It should be noted that the bamboo, in fact, quite malosedobnoe plant. In addition to the red panda, known only 4 species of animals, specialized in feeding on these giant cereal - it is a big panda, two bamboo rats (one of which is common in China, and the other - in Brazil) and one species of Malagasy lemurs. We should not forget that the ravenous constitute separate unit, not because eating animal food - it does not shrink from, for example, and some ungulates - and because of the special tools for getting it and, most importantly, mastering. They and the corresponding teeth and the stomach simple and not multilocularis, as in ruminants, and short gut. And fibrous plant foods they usually for future use. With the dental system in pandas this is relatively well: their molars have numerous bumps, allowing good grind and chew plant fibers. But the digestive tract of the red panda - a digestive tract usual predator. And because, as shown by special studies, the body metabolizes animal no more than one-quarter of the energy contained in bamboo leaves eaten.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that the red panda, unlike its "big sister" - the giant panda - very selective in the diet. If the "bamboo bear" sends the jaws of almost all of the bamboo (except woody stems, of course), the red panda seeks leaves and shoots are more gentle. They, of course, easier to digest, but difficult to find. Observations have shown that feeding on red pandas spend 13 hours a day. But the search for food - is spent force, the same energy. It is a vicious circle. Yes, the climate is not hot - perhaps precisely in order to avoid wasting scarce energy for heating, and acquired a red panda a luxurious fur coat and amazing furry tail. They, like a scarf, animal turns around when he goes to rest, curled dense tangle somewhere in the fork of branches.





Males rarely take part in the education of the young, unless we are talking about small pandas living in a couple (or group) is constant.
Shortly before birth the female builds in a hollow or cleft in the rock nest of twigs and leaves. In this nest and hatch little panda - blind and deaf, weighing only about 100 grams, the color of which is more like a beige than red or orange.
Usually 1-2 cubs, but sometimes they are born just four, but independent life rarely survive more than one. Young grow very slowly. About the 18th day they open their eyes. Only at the age of three months, their color becomes characteristic of the adult color, they begin to emerge from the nest and eat solid food. A little later, after leaving the nest, migrate to the mother on her site - until the middle of winter (and other sources, and the whole year).





That is why the Small panda family live, because Young alone simply can not survive. Lesser panda habitat occupies a very large area and the natural enemies of her a bit, but this species is included in the lists of the International Red Book with the status "endangers". View classified as endangered, as there are only 2,500 individuals.
The fact that the density of animals in nature is very low, and moreover, red panda habitats can be easily destroyed. The main danger is the constant deforestation in these regions, as well as poaching and hunting for small panda in India and south-western China because of its beautiful fur (used to make hats).
However, unlike the giant pandas that refuse to multiply in captivity, with small pandas such a problem does not exist. Currently, 350 of these animals were found in 85 zoos in the world and as many more were born in captivity over the past two decades.
However, the number of small panda cubs in a litter is usually no more than two individuals, and they are born with a periodicity of only once a year. Therefore, the population of the Lesser pandas are still under threat, and in the natural habitat of their mortality is very high.
But there is hope that we humans still correct their mistakes and will be able to save the Lesser pandas, giant pandas and other animals for our future generations. Although it would not hurt to think about the fact that humanity is engaged in a Sisyphean problem for thousands of years.







The systematic position of this animal is still unclear. Giant panda in the end, after much debate and research complex, considered representative of the family bear. A small? In various references to her writing something like a bear, how about a raccoon that as representatives of individual families. Even her kinship with the great panda is not proven. The closeness of these animals, scientists have concluded (in the days of David Pierre) on the basis of similarity of the power and structure of the teeth. But especially the dentition - the adaptation to certain foods, and that the two species live in the neighborhood and similar feed, does not prove anything. So this question still awaits its researchers.

At the time, relatives of the current Panda, or, in any case, the animals, like them, were distributed very widely - fossils of predators with a similar structure of the dental system known from Eastern Europe and from North America. However, these animals, scientists believe, have been adapted to a specific type of climate, with changes which drastically reduced and habitat pandas.

Red panda - the night, or rather twilight animal. It is excellent climbing and spends a lot of time among the branches. But in search of food usually comes down to earth.

Red pandas live alone. "Personal" territory females, as shown by observations of recent years, covers an area of about 2.5 km ^2, the male - twice. That's a lot for an animal weighing 5 kg, the more herbivorous - because in those places bamboo grows in abundance.

But let's not forget that eating red panda suits, not all bamboo plant, and only the young shoots, which account for a long time to seek out. So solitary animals is justified.




Fortunately, the red panda bad breed in captivity. Currently, about 300 of these animals are in 85 zoos of the world and as many more were born in captivity over the past two decades. These cute little animals are well tamed and delight visitors with its charming views. However, keep them in zoos, even very difficult, and at home, and it is simply impossible: too specific diet needs a red panda. And when the wrong feeding these animals quickly die from intestinal diseases.