Editing Red panda (section)

== Distribution and habitat ==
[[File:Red Panda at Neora Valley National Park West Bengal India 2012.jpg|thumb|Red panda in [[Neora Valley National Park]]|alt=Red panda in a tree]]
The red panda inhabits [[Nepal]], the states of [[Sikkim]], [[West Bengal]] and [[Arunachal Pradesh]] in India, [[Bhutan]], southern [[Tibet]], northern [[Myanmar]] and China's [[Sichuan]] and [[Yunnan]] provinces.<ref name=iucn/> The global potential habitat of the red panda has been estimated to comprise {{cvt|47100|km2}} at most; this habitat is located in the [[temperate climate]] zone of the [[Himalayas]] with a mean annual temperature range of {{cvt|18|-|24|C|F}}.<ref name=Kandel_al2015>{{cite journal |author1=Kandel, K. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Huettmann, F. |author3=Suwal, M. K. |author4=Regmi, G. R. |author5=Nijman, V. |author6=Nekaris, K. A. I. |author7=Lama, S. T. |author8= Thapa, A. |author9=Sharma, H. P. |author10=Subedi, T. R. |year=2015 |title=Rapid multi-nation distribution assessment of a charismatic conservation species using open access ensemble model GIS predictions: Red Panda (''Ailurus fulgens'') in the Hindu-Kush Himalaya region |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=181 |pages=150–161 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2014.10.007|bibcode=2015BCons.181..150K }}</ref> Throughout this range, it has been recorded at elevations of {{cvt|2000-4300|m}}.<ref name=Mallick2010>{{cite journal |author=Mallick, J. K. |year=2010 |title=Status of Red Panda ''Ailurus fulgens'' in Neora Valley National Park, Darjeeling District, West Bengal, India |journal=Small Carnivore Conservation |volume=43 |pages=30–36 |url=http://nebula.wsimg.com/3f41b38cdea8b81234a0398f336febcc?AccessKeyId=35E369A09ED705622D78&disposition=0&alloworigin=1 |access-date=18 March 2022 |archive-date=18 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220318223222/http://nebula.wsimg.com/3f41b38cdea8b81234a0398f336febcc?AccessKeyId=35E369A09ED705622D78&disposition=0&alloworigin=1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Dorji_al2012>{{cite journal |author1=Dorji, S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Rajaratnam, R. |author3=Vernes, K. |year=2012 |title=The Vulnerable Red Panda ''Ailurus fulgens'' in Bhutan: distribution, conservation, status and management recommendations |journal=Oryx |volume=46 |issue=4 |pages=536–543 |doi=10.1017/S0030605311000780 |s2cid=84332758|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=Thapa_al2020>{{cite journal |author1=Thapa, K. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Thapa, G. J. |author3=Bista, D. |author4=Jnawali, S. R. |author5=Acharya, K. P. |author6=Khanal, K. |author7=Kandel, R. C. |author8=Karki Thapa, M. |author9=Shrestha, S. |author10=Lama, S. T. |author11=Sapkota, N. S. |year=2020 |title=Landscape variables affecting the Himalayan Red Panda ''Ailurus fulgens'' occupancy in wet season along the mountains in Nepal |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=15 |issue=12 |page=e0243450 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0243450 |pmid=33306732 |pmc=7740865 |bibcode=2020PLoSO..1543450T |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=Dong_al2021>{{cite journal |author1=Dong, X. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Zhang, J. |author3=Gu, X. |author4=Wang, Y. |author5=Bai, W. |author6=Huang, Q. |year=2021 |title=Evaluating habitat suitability and potential dispersal corridors across the distribution landscape of the Chinese Red Panda (''Ailurus styani'') in Sichuan, China |journal=Global Ecology and Conservation |volume=28 |page=e01705 |doi=10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01705 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2021GEcoC..2801705D }}</ref><ref name=Lin_al2021>{{cite book |title=Biology and Conservation of the First Panda |editor=Glatston, A. R. |year=2021 |publisher=Academic Press |location=London |edition=Second |isbn=9780128237540 |chapter=The conservation status of Red Panda in north-east Myanmar |author1=Lin, A. K. |author2=Lwin, N. |author3=Aung, S. S. |author4=Oo, W. N. |author5=Lum, L. Z. |author6=Grindley, M. |name-list-style=amp |pages=475–488 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gcwnEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA475 |access-date=24 January 2022 |archive-date=29 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129185311/https://books.google.com/books?id=gcwnEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA475 |url-status=live }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable floatright mw-collapsible"
|+ {{nowrap|Habitat of the red panda}}
!Country
!Estimated size<ref name=Kandel_al2015/>
|-
|Nepal ||{{cvt|22400|km2}}
|-
|China ||{{cvt|13100|km2}}
|-
|India ||{{cvt|5700|km2}} 
|-
|Myanmar ||{{cvt|5000|km2}}
|-
| Bhutan ||{{cvt|900|km2}}
|-
|'''Total'''||{{cvt|47100|km2}}
|}
In Nepal, it lives in six protected area complexes within the [[Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests]] ecoregion.<ref name=Thapa_al2020/> The westernmost records to date were obtained in three [[Community forestry in Nepal|community forests]] in [[Kalikot District]] in 2019.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Shrestha, S. |author2=Lama, S. |author3=Sherpa, A. P. |author4=Ghale, D. |author5=Lama, S. T. |name-list-style=amp |year=2021 |title=The endangered Himalayan Red Panda: first photographic evidence from its westernmost distribution range |journal=Journal of Threatened Taxa |volume=13 |issue=5 |pages=18156–18163 |doi=10.11609/jott.6100.13.5.18156-18163 |doi-access=free}}</ref> [[Panchthar District|Panchthar]] and [[Ilam District]]s represent its easternmost range in the country, where its habitat in forest patches is surrounded by villages, livestock [[pasture]]s and roads.<ref name=Bista_al2021b/> The [[metapopulation]] in protected areas and [[wildlife corridor]]s in the [[Kangchenjunga]] landscape of Sikkim and northern West Bengal is partly connected through [[old-growth forest]]s outside protected areas.<ref name=Dalui_al2020>{{cite journal |author1=Dalui, S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Khatri, H. |author3=Singh, S. K. |author4=Basu, S. |author5=Ghosh, A. |author6=Mukherjee, T. |author7=Sharma, L. K. |author8=Singh, R. |author9=Chandra, K. |author10=Thakur, M. |year=2020 |title=Fine-scale landscape genetics unveiling contemporary asymmetric movement of Red Panda (''Ailurus fulgens'') in Kangchenjunga landscape, India |journal=Scientific Reports |volume=10 |issue=1 |page=15446 |doi=10.1038/s41598-020-72427-3 |pmid=32963325 |pmc=7508845 |bibcode=2020NatSR..1015446D |doi-access=free}}</ref> Forests in this landscape are dominated by Himalayan oaks (''[[Quercus lamellosa]]'' and ''[[Quercus semecarpifolia|Q. semecarpifolia]]''), [[Betula utilis|Himalayan birch]], [[Abies densa|Himalayan fir]], [[Acer caesium|Himalayan maple]] with bamboo, ''[[Rhododendron]]'' and some [[Juniperus indica|black juniper]] shrub growing in the [[understorey]]s.<ref name=Mallick2010/><ref name=Panthi_al2012>{{cite journal |author1=Panthi, S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Aryal, A. |author3=Raubenheimer, D. |author4=Lord, J. |author5=Adhikari, B. |year=2012 |title=Summer diet and distribution of the Red Panda (''Ailurus fulgens fulgens'') in Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, Nepal |journal=Zoological Studies |volume=51 |issue=5 |pages=701–709 |url=https://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/51.5/701.pdf |access-date=18 March 2022 |archive-date=22 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322012942/https://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/51.5/701.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Khatiwara, S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Srivastava, T. |year=2014 |title=Red Panda ''Ailurus fulgens'' and other small carnivores in Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary, East Sikkim, India |journal=Small Carnivore Conservation |volume=50 |pages=35–38 |url=http://nebula.wsimg.com/0dc8fda3217eac3b2623bbe2f08efb52?AccessKeyId=35E369A09ED705622D78&disposition=0&alloworigin=1 |access-date=18 March 2022 |archive-date=13 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213112531/http://nebula.wsimg.com/0dc8fda3217eac3b2623bbe2f08efb52?AccessKeyId=35E369A09ED705622D78&disposition=0&alloworigin=1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Bashir, T. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Bhattacharya, T. |author3=Poudyal, K. |author4=Sathyakumar, S. |year=2019 |title=First camera trap record of Red Panda ''Ailurus fulgens'' (Cuvier, 1825) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Ailuridae) from Khangchendzonga, Sikkim, India |journal=Journal of Threatened Taxa |volume=11 |issue=8 |pages=14056–14061 |doi=10.11609/jott.4626.11.8.14056-14061 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Records in Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh's [[Pangchen Valley]], [[West Kameng district|West Kameng]] and [[Shi Yomi district]]s indicate that it frequents habitats with ''[[Yushania]]'' and ''[[Thamnocalamus]]'' bamboo, medium-sized ''Rhododendron'', [[Sorbus|whitebeam]] and [[Castanopsis|chinquapin]] trees.<ref name=Dorji_al2012/><ref name=Chakraborty_al2015>{{cite journal |author1=Chakraborty, R. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Nahmo, L. T. |author3=Dutta, P. K. |author4=Srivastava, T. |author5=Mazumdar, K. |author6=Dorji, D. |year=2015 |title=Status, abundance, and habitat associations of the Red Panda (''Ailurus fulgens'') in Pangchen Valley, Arunachal Pradesh, India |journal=Mammalia |volume=79 |issue=1 |pages=25–32 |doi=10.1515/mammalia-2013-0105 |s2cid=87668179}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Megha, M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Christi, S. |author4=Gopal, R. |author3=Kapoor, M. |author5=Solanki, R. |year=2021 |title=Photographic evidence of Red Panda ''Ailurus fulgens'' Cuvier, 1825 from West Kameng and Shi-Yomi districts of Arunachal Pradesh, India |journal=Journal of Threatened Taxa |volume=13 |issue=9 |pages=19254–19262 |doi=10.11609/jott.6666.13.9.19254-19262 |doi-access=free}}</ref> In China, it inhabits the [[Hengduan Mountains subalpine conifer forests]] and [[Qionglai-Minshan conifer forests]] in the [[Hengduan Mountains|Hengduan]], [[Qionglai Mountains|Qionglai]], [[Xiaoxiang Range|Xiaoxiang]], [[Daxiangling]] and [[Liangshan Mountain]]s in Sichuan.<ref name=Dong_al2021/> In the adjacent Yunnan province, it was recorded only in the northwestern montane part.<ref name="Wei">{{cite journal |last1=Wei |first1=F. |last2=Feng |first2=Z. |last3=Wang |first3=Z. |last4=Hu |first4=J. |name-list-style=amp |title=Current distribution, status and conservation of wild Red Pandas ''Ailurus fulgens'' in China |journal=Biological Conservation |date=1999 |volume=89 |issue=3 |pages=285–291 |doi=10.1016/S0006-3207(98)00156-6|bibcode=1999BCons..89..285W }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Li, F. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Huang, X. Y. |author3=Zhang, X. C. |author4=Zhao, X. X. |author5=Yang, J. H. |author6=Chan, B. P. L. |year=2019 |title=Mammals of Tengchong Section of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve in Yunnan Province, China |journal=Journal of Threatened Taxa |volume=11 |issue=11 |pages=14402–14414 |doi=10.11609/jott.4439.11.11.14402-14414 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

The red panda prefers [[microhabitat]]s within {{cvt|70-240|m}} of water sources.<ref name=Wei_al2000>{{cite journal |author1=Wei, F. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Feng, Z. |author3=Wang, Z. |author4=Hu, J. |year=2000 |title=Habitat use and separation between the Giant Panda and the Red Panda |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=81 |issue=2 |pages=448–455 |doi=10.1644/1545-1542(2000)081<0448:HUASBT>2.0.CO;2 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=Dorji_al2011>{{cite journal |author1=Dorji, S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Vernes, K. |author3=Rajaratnam, R. |year=2011 |title=Habitat correlates of the Red Panda in the temperate forests of Bhutan |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=6 |issue=10 |page=e26483 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0026483 |pmid=22039497 |pmc=3198399 |bibcode=2011PLoSO...626483D |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=Dendup2018/><ref name=Dendup_al2020>{{cite journal |author1=Dendup, P. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Humle, T. |author3=Bista, D. |author4=Penjor, U. |author5=Lham, C. |author6=Gyeltshen, J. |year=2020 |title=Habitat requirements of the Himalayan Red Panda (''Ailurus fulgens'') and threat analysis in Jigme Dorji National Park, Bhutan |journal=Ecology and Evolution |volume=10 |issue=17 |pages=9444–9453 |doi=10.1002/ece3.6632 |pmid=32953073 |pmc=7487235 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2020EcoEv..10.9444D }}</ref> Fallen logs and [[tree stump]]s are important habitat features, as they facilitate access to bamboo leaves.<ref name=Zhang_al2006>{{cite journal |author1=Zhang, Z. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Wei, F. |author3=Li, M. |author4=Hu, J. |year=2006 |title=Winter microhabitat separation between Giant and Red Pandas in ''Bashania faberi'' Bamboo forest in Fengtongzhai Nature Reserve |journal=The Journal of Wildlife Management |volume=70 |issue=1 |pages=231–235 |doi=10.2193/0022-541X(2006)70[231:WMSBGA]2.0.CO;2|s2cid=86350625 }}</ref> Red pandas have been recorded to use steep slopes of more than 20° and stumps exceeding a diameter of {{cvt|30|cm|in|0}}.<ref name=Wei_al2000/><ref name=Dendup2018>{{cite journal |author1=Dendup, P. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Lham, C. |author3=Wangchuk, J. |author4=Tshering, K. |year=2018 |title=Winter habitat preferences of Endangered Red Panda (''Ailurus fulgens'') in the Forest Research Preserve of Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environmental Research, Bumthang, Bhutan |journal=Journal of the Bhutan Ecological Society |volume=3 |pages=1–13 |issn=2410-3861 |url=https://bes.org.bt/articles/winter-habitat-preferences-of-endangered-red-panda-ailurus-fulgens-in-the-forest-research-preserve-of-ugyen-wangchuck-institute-for-conservation-and-environmental-research-bumthang-bhutan-2/ |access-date=18 March 2022 |archive-date=10 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510084033/https://bes.org.bt/articles/winter-habitat-preferences-of-endangered-red-panda-ailurus-fulgens-in-the-forest-research-preserve-of-ugyen-wangchuck-institute-for-conservation-and-environmental-research-bumthang-bhutan-2/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Red pandas observed in [[Phrumsengla National Park]] used foremost easterly and southerly slopes with a mean slope of 34° and a [[Canopy (biology)|canopy]] cover of 66 per cent that were overgrown with bamboo about {{cvt|23|m}} in height.<ref name=Dorji_al2011/> In [[Dafengding Nature Reserve]], it prefers steep south-facing slopes in winter and inhabits forests with bamboo {{cvt|1.5–2.5|m|ftin}} tall.<ref name=Zhou_al2013>{{cite journal |author1=Zhou, X. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Jiao, H. |author3=Dou, Y. |author4=Aryal, A. |author5=Hu, J. |author6=Hu, J. |author7=Meng, X. |year=2013 |title=The winter habitat selection of Red Panda (''Ailurus fulgens'') in the Meigu Dafengding National Nature Reserve, China |volume=105 |issue=10 |pages=1425–1429 |journal=Current Science |url=https://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/105/10/1425.pdf |access-date=18 March 2022 |archive-date=22 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322012946/https://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/105/10/1425.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In [[Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve]], it inhabits mixed coniferous forest with a dense canopy cover of more than 75 per cent, steep slopes and a density of at least {{cvt|70|/m2|/sqft|disp=preunit|bamboo plants|bamboo plants}}.<ref name=Liu_al2021>{{cite journal |author1=Liu, X. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Teng, L. |author3=Ding, Y. |author4=Liu, Z. |year=2021 |title=Habitat selection by Red Panda (''Ailurus fulgens fulgens'') in Gaoligongshan Nature Reserve, China |journal=Pakistan Journal of Zoology |volume=54 |issue=4 |doi=10.17582/journal.pjz/20190726090725 |s2cid=238963119 |url=https://researcherslinks.com/uploads/articles/1629808802PJZ_MH20190726090725-R2_Liu%20et%20al.pdf |access-date=28 January 2022 |archive-date=28 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128172250/https://researcherslinks.com/uploads/articles/1629808802PJZ_MH20190726090725-R2_Liu%20et%20al.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In some parts of China, the red panda coexists with the giant panda. In [[Fengtongzhai National Nature Reserve|Fengtongzhai]] and [[Yele National Nature Reserve]]s, red panda microhabitat is characterised by steep slopes with lots of bamboo [[Culm (botany)|stem]]s, shrubs, fallen logs and stumps, whereas the giant panda prefers gentler slopes with taller but lesser amounts of bamboo and less habitat features overall. Such [[niche separation]] lessens competition between the two bamboo-eating species.<ref name=Wei_al2000/><ref name=Zhang_al2006/>