The red panda is a mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs, and a ringed tail. It has a head-to-body length of 51–63.5 cm (20–25 in) and a 28–48.5 cm (11–19 in) tail, and it weighs between 3.2 and 15 kg (7 and 33 lb). It is genetically close to raccoons, weasels and skunks. Solitary, largely arboreal and well adapted to climbing, it inhabits coniferous, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, favouring steep slopes with dense bamboo cover close to water sources. It uses elongated wrist bones ("false thumbs") to grasp bamboo. It feeds mainly on bamboo shoots and leaves. Red pandas mate in early spring, giving birth to litters of up to four cubs in summer. On the IUCN Red List as endangered since 2015, the species is threatened by poaching and deforestation-based habitat destruction and fragmentation.
Thanks for being so nice to me when I was down and managing to find a compliment to pay me after I'd just made a whole host of mistakes. Harland1 (t/c) 14:33, 15 April 2008
The Hidden Page Barnstar
I award you one for finding Trekphiler's page for people who always think that "new message" bar is real. Aren't you glad you checked your mail? TREKphilerhit me ♠ 08:42, 14 July 2008
The Random Acts of Kindness Barnstar
Thank you very much for you intervention and encouragemt in a contentious episode I had with a particularly malevolent user in June. This editor continued in his ways and has this week seen them lead him into an unpleasant corner; he has been indefinitely blocked for persistant warring with others and, for now, has vowed to leave Wikipedia. It is always encouraging to see collaboration and good manners prevail. Nick Lantana11 (talk) 21:14, 22 July 2008 (UTC)