Nepalese Red Panda at Mogo Zoo NSW 2536 Australia

Nepalese Red Panda at Mogo Zoo NSW 2536 Australia, originally uploaded by vanessapr.

One of the cutest critters at Mogo Zoo is the red panda. It was raining when I took this photo and they had just been fed. So cute against the green foliage.

Nepalese Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens)

Although overshadowed by the popularity of the giant panda for the last 50 years, the red panda was the first panda known to man.

Solitary and territorial in nature, they are excellent climbers and foragers.

Their numbers are rapidly declining in the wild.
Body Length: Body: 51 - 63.5cm. Tail: 28-48.5cm. Weight: 4.5 - 5kg. Tail: 30 - 47cm.
Coat: Soft dense chestnut coloured fur on back, limbs & the underside darker, with variable amounts of white on face and ears. Long whiskers indicate nocturnal habits.
Sexual maturity: 18 - 20mths.
Gestation: 114 - 145 days.
Number of young: 1 - 4, commonly 2. Weaning occurs at 5 months.
Habitat: Found through the Himalayas to southern China, in remote altitude bamboo forests.
Diet: Mainly vegetation, fruit, roots, nuts, bamboo shoots, acorn, lychees, insects, carrion.
Lifespan: 14 years. (Source: Mogo Zoo)