Editing Red panda (section)

==Behaviour and ecology==
[[File:Tiergarten Schoenbrunn Kleiner Panda 2.jpg|thumb|Red panda sleeping in a tree|alt=A red panda lies sleeping on a high branch of a tree, with tail stretched out behind and legs dangling on each side of the branch]]
The red panda is difficult to observe in the wild,<ref name="Gebauer"/> and most studies on its behaviour have taken place in captivity.<ref>{{cite journal |name-list-style=amp |last1=Karki|first1=S. |last2=Maraseni |first2=T. |last3=Mackey|first3=B. |last4=Bista|first4=D. |last5=Lama |first5=S. T.|last6=Gautam|first6=A. P.|last7=Sherpa|first7=A. P. |last8=Koju |first8=A. P. |last9=Koju|first9=U. |last10=Shrestha|first10=A. |last11=Cadman|first11=T. |year=2021|title=Reaching over the gap: A review of trends in and status of red panda research over 193 years (1827–2020) |journal=Science of the Total Environment |volume=781 |page=146659 |doi=10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146659 |pmid=33794452 |bibcode=2021ScTEn.78146659K |s2cid=232763016}}</ref> The red panda appears to be both [[nocturnal]] and [[crepuscular]], [[Biphasic and polyphasic sleep|sleeping in between periods of activity]] at night. It typically rests or sleeps in trees or other elevated spaces, stretched out prone on a branch with legs dangling when it is hot, and curled up with its hindlimb over the face when it is cold. It is adapted for climbing and descends to the ground head-first with the hindfeet holding on to the middle of the tree trunk. It moves quickly on the ground by trotting or bounding.<ref name="roberts+gittleman" />

===Social spacing===
Adult pandas are generally [[Solitary animal|solitary]] and [[Territory (animal)|territorial]]. Individuals mark their [[home range]] or territorial boundaries with urine, [[faeces]] and secretions from the [[anal gland|anal]] and surrounding glands. Scent-marking is usually done on the ground, with males marking more often and for longer periods.<ref name="roberts+gittleman" /> In China's [[Wolong National Nature Reserve]], the home range of a radio-collared female was {{cvt|0.94|km2}}, while that of a male was {{cvt|1.11|km2}}.<ref name="Reid1991">{{cite journal|last1=Reid|first1=D. G. |last2=Jinchu|first2=H. |last3=Yan|first3=H. |name-list-style=amp |year=1991 |title=Ecology of the Red Panda ''Ailurus fulgens'' in the Wolong Reserve, China |journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=225 |issue=3 |pages=347–364 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1991.tb03821.x}}</ref> A one-year-long monitoring study of ten red pandas in eastern Nepal showed that the four males had median home ranges of {{cvt|1.73|km2}} and the six females of {{cvt|0.94|km2}} within a forest cover of at least {{cvt|19.2|ha}}. The females travelled {{cvt|419–841|m}} per day and the males {{cvt|660–1473|m}}. In the mating season from January to March, adults travelled a mean of {{cvt|795|m}} and subadults a mean of {{cvt|861|m}}.<ref name=Bista_al2021b>{{cite journal |author1=Bista, D. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Baxter, G. S. |author3=Hudson, N. J. |author4=Lama, S. T. |author5=Weerman, J. |author6=Murray, P. J. |year=2021 |title=Movement and dispersal of a habitat specialist in human-dominated landscapes: a case study of the Red Panda |journal=Movement Ecology |volume=9 |issue=1 |page=62 |doi=10.1186/s40462-021-00297-z |pmid=34906253 |pmc=8670026 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2021MvEco...9...62B }}</ref> They all had larger home ranges in areas with low forest cover and reduced their activity in areas that were disturbed by people, livestock and dogs.<ref name=Bista_al2021>{{cite journal |author1=Bista, D. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Baxter, G. S. |author3=Hudson, N. J. |author4=Lama, S. T. |author5=Murray, P. J. |year=2021 |title=Effect of disturbances and habitat fragmentation on an arboreal habitat specialist mammal using GPS telemetry: a case of the red panda |journal=Landscape Ecology |volume=37 |issue=3 |pages=795–809 |doi=10.1007/s10980-021-01357-w |pmid=34720409 |pmc=8542365 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

===Diet and feeding===
The red panda is largely herbivorous and feeds primarily on bamboo, mainly the genera ''[[Phyllostachys]]'', ''[[Sinarundinaria]]'', ''Thamnocalamus'' and ''[[Chimonobambusa]]''.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Nijboer, J. |author2=Dierenfeld, E. S. |year=2021 |chapter=Red panda nutrition: how to feed a vegetarian carnivore |title=Red Panda: Biology and Conservation of the First Panda |editor=Glatston, A. R. |pages=225–238 |edition=Second |publisher=Academic Press |place=London |isbn=978-0-12-823753-3 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> It also feeds on fruits, blossoms, [[acorn]]s, eggs, birds and small mammals. Bamboo leaves may be the most abundant food item year-round and the only food they can access during winter.<ref name="ecology">{{cite book |author1=Wei, F. |author2=Thapa, A. |author3=Hu, Y. |author4=Zhang, Z. |year=2021 |chapter=Red Panda ecology |title=Red Panda: Biology and Conservation of the First Panda |editor=Glatston, A. R. |pages=329–351 |edition=Second |publisher=Academic Press |place=London |isbn=978-0-12-823753-3 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> In Wolong National Nature Reserve, leaves of the bamboo species ''[[Bashania fangiana]]'' were found in nearly 94 per cent of analysed droppings, and its [[bamboo shoot|shoots]] were found in 59 per cent of the droppings found in June.<ref name="Reid1991"/>

The diet of red pandas monitored at three sites in [[Singalila National Park]] for two years consisted of 40–83 per cent ''[[Yushania maling]]'' and 51–91.2 per cent ''[[Thamnocalamus spathiflorus]]'' bamboos{{efn|''Arundinaria maling'' and ''A. aristata'' referred to in the source have since been reclassified to distinct genera occurring in Asia.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Stapleton, C. M. A. |year=1994 |title=The bamboos of Nepal and Bhutan. Part II: ''Arundinaria'', ''Thamnocalamus'', ''Borinda'', and ''Yushania'' (Gramineae: Poaceae, Bambusoideae) |journal=Edinburgh Journal of Botany |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=275–295 |doi=10.1017/S0960428600000883|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Triplett, J. K. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Clark, L. G. |year=2010 |title=Phylogeny of the temperate bamboos (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Bambuseae) with an emphasis on Arundinaria and allies |journal=Systematic Botany |volume=35 |issue=1 |pages=102–120 |doi=10.1600/036364410790862678|bibcode=2010SysBo..35..102T |s2cid=85588401 }}</ref>}} supplemented by bamboo shoots, ''[[Actinidia strigosa]]'' fruits and seasonal berries.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pradhan|first1=S. |last2=Saha |first2=G. K. |last3=Khan|first3=J. A. |year=2001|title=Ecology of the Red Panda ''Ailurus fulgens'' in the Singhalila National Park, Darjeeling, India |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=98 |issue=1 |pages=11–18 |doi=10.1016/S0006-3207(00)00079-3 |bibcode=2001BCons..98...11P |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> In this national park, red panda droppings also contained remains of [[silky rose]] and [[Rubus|bramble fruit]] species in the summer season, ''[[Actinidia callosa]]'' in the post-monsoon season, and ''[[Merrilliopanax alpinus]]'', the whitebeam species ''[[Sorbus cuspidata]]'' and [[tree rhododendron]] in both seasons. Droppings were found with 23 plant species including the [[stone oak]] species ''[[Lithocarpus pachyphyllus]]'', [[Magnolia campbellii|Campbell's magnolia]], the chinquapin species ''[[Castanopsis tribuloides]]'', Himalayan birch, ''[[Litsea sericea]]'' and the [[holly]] species ''[[Ilex fragilis]]''.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Roka, B. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Jha, A. K. |author3=Chhetri, D. R. |year=2021 |title=A study on plant preferences of Red Panda (''Ailurus fulgens'') in the wild habitat: foundation for the conservation of the species |journal=Acta Biologica Sibirica |volume=7 |pages=425–439 |doi=10.3897/abs.7.e71816 |s2cid=244942192 |url=https://abs.pensoft.net/article/71816/download/pdf/ |access-date=29 January 2022 |archive-date=28 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628075846/https://public.pensoft.net/items/?p=7TVeXpoqfNYT89tyrm3ifrTeG9Wv8P676JSQp%2FH2pj9hhtoybol4GF7LEbj3fxHT5Fo8esHsudYAYpBvYRXDagjNH%2F0WB4wgAIotii7Ae3LaW2Fr9Ax1LqaArmQ%3D&n=gxh9ddQ8acsRsM1Z%2BCizLOv1G9aD7qC545Y%3D |url-status=live |doi-access=free }}</ref> In Nepal's [[Rara National Park]], ''Thamnocalamus'' was found in all the droppings sampled, both before and after the [[monsoon]].<ref>{{cite journal |name-list-style=amp |last1=Sharma|first1=H. R.|last2=Swenson|first2=J. E. |last3=Belant |first3=J. |year=2014 |title=Seasonal food habits of the Red Panda (''Ailurus fulgens'') in Rara National Park, Nepal |journal=Hystrix |volume=25 |issue=1 |pages=47–50 |doi=10.4404/hystrix-25.1-9033}}</ref> Its summer diet in [[Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve]] also includes some lichens and [[Berberis|barberries]].<ref name=Panthi_al2012/> In Bhutan's [[Jigme Dorji National Park]], red panda faeces found in the fruiting season contained seeds of [[Hedera nepalensis|Himalayan ivy]].<ref name=Dendup_al2020/>
[[File:Endangered Red Panda.jpg|thumb|Red panda feeding|alt=Red panda holding onto a plant and eating]]
The red panda grabs food with one of its front paws and usually eats sitting down or standing. When foraging for bamboo, it grabs the plant by the stem and pulls it down towards its jaws. It bites the leaves with the side of the [[cheek teeth]] and then shears, chews and swallows. Smaller food like blossoms, berries and small leaves are eaten differently, being clipped by the incisors.<ref name="roberts+gittleman" /> Having the [[gastrointestinal tract]] of a carnivore, the red panda cannot properly digest bamboo, which passes through its gut in two to four hours. Hence, it must consume large amounts of the most nutritious plant matter. It eats over {{cvt|1.5|kg|lboz}} of fresh leaves or {{cvt|4|kg|lb|0}} of fresh shoots in a day with crude proteins and fats being the most easily digested. Digestion is highest in summer and fall but lowest in winter, and is easier for shoots than leaves.<ref name="wei_1999">{{cite journal |author=Wei, F. |author2=Feng, Z. |author3=Wang, Z. |author4=Zhou, A. |author5=Hu, J. |name-list-style=amp |title=Use of the nutrients in bamboo by the Red Panda ''Ailurus fulgens'' |journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=248 |issue=4 |pages=535–541 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1999.tb01053.x |date=1999}}</ref> The red panda's [[metabolic rate]] is comparable to other mammals of its size, despite its poor diet.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Fei, Y.|author2=Hou, R.|author3=Spotila, J. R.|author4=Paladino, F. V.|author5=Qi, D.|author6=Zhang, Z. |name-list-style=amp |year=2017|title=Metabolic rate of the Red Panda, ''Ailurus fulgens'', a dietary bamboo specialist|journal=PLOS ONE |volume=12 |issue=3 |page=e0173274 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0173274 |pmid=28306740|pmc=5356995|bibcode=2017PLoSO..1273274F|doi-access=free}}</ref> The red panda digests almost a third of [[dry matter]], which is more efficient than the giant panda digesting 17 per cent.<ref name="wei_1999"/> Microbes in the gut may aid in its processing of bamboo; the [[microbiota]] community in the red panda is less diverse than in other mammals.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Kong, F. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Zhao, J. |author3=Han, S. |author4=Zeng, B. |author5=Yang, J. |author6=Si, X. |author7=Yang, B. |author8=Yang, M. |author9=Xu, H. |author10=Li, Y. |year=2014 |title=Characterization of the gut microbiota in the red panda (''Ailurus fulgens'') |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=9 |issue=2 |page=e87885 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0087885 |pmid=24498390 |pmc=3912123 |bibcode=2014PLoSO...987885K |doi-access=free}}</ref>

===Communication===
[[File:Red panda twittering.ogg|thumb|Sounds of red panda twittering]]
At least seven different vocalisations have been recorded from the red panda, comprising growls, barks, squeals, hoots, bleats, grunts and twitters. Growling, barking, grunting and squealing are produced during fights and aggressive chasing. Hooting is made in response to being approached by another individual. Bleating is associated with scent-marking and sniffing. Males may bleat during mating, while females twitter.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Qi|first1=D. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Zhou, H. |author3=Wei, W. |author4=Lei, M. |author5=Yuan, S. |author6=Qi, D. |author7=Zhang, Z. |year=2016|title=Vocal repertoire of adult captive red pandas (''Ailurus fulgens'') |journal=Animal Biology |volume=66 |issue=2 |pages=145–155 |doi=10.1163/15707563-00002493}}</ref> During both [[Play (activity)#Other animals|play fighting]] and aggressive fighting, individuals curve their backs and tails while slowly moving their heads up and down. They then turn their heads while jaw-clapping, move their heads laterally and lift a forepaw to strike. They stand on their hind legs, raise the forelimbs above the head and then pounce. Two red pandas may "stare" at each other from a distance.<ref name="roberts+gittleman" />

===Reproduction and parenting===
[[File:Dortmund-Zoo-Kleiner Panda151930.jpg|thumb|Red panda tending its cub|alt=Red panda mother with cub]]
Red pandas are [[Photoperiodism#Animals|long-day]] breeders, reproducing after the [[winter solstice]] as daylight grows longer. Mating thus takes place from January to March, with births occurring from May to August. Reproduction is delayed by six months for captive pandas in the southern hemisphere. [[Oestrous]] lasts a day, and females can enter oestrous multiple times a season, but it is not known how long the intervals between each cycle last.<ref name="Curry">{{cite book |author=Curry, E. |year=2021 |chapter=Reproductive biology of the Red Panda |title=Red Panda: Biology and Conservation of the First Panda |editor=Glatston, A. R. |pages=119–138 |edition=Second |publisher=Academic Press |place=London |isbn=978-0-12-823753-3}}</ref>

As the reproductive season begins, males and females interact more, and will rest, move, and feed near each other. An oestrous female will spend more time marking and males will inspect her anogenital region. Receptive females make tail-flicks and position themselves in a [[lordosis behavior|lordosis]] pose, with the front lowered to the ground and the spine curved. [[copulation (zoology)|Copulation]] involves the male mounting the female from behind and on top, though face-to-face matings as well as belly-to-back matings while lying on the sides also occur. The male will grab the female by the sides with his front paws instead of biting her neck. Intromission is 2–25 minutes long, and the couple [[Social grooming|groom]] each other between each bout.<ref name="Curry"/>

[[Gestation]] lasts about 131 days.<ref name="Roberts1979"/> Prior to giving birth, the female selects a denning site, such as a tree, log or stump hollow or rock crevice, and builds a nest using material from nearby, such as twigs, sticks, branches, bark bits, leaves, grass and moss.<ref name="Gebauer">{{cite book |author=Gebauer, A. |year=2021 |chapter=The early days: maternal behaviour and infant development |title=Red Panda: Biology and Conservation of the First Panda |editor=Glatston, A. R. |pages=149–179 |edition=Second |publisher=Academic Press |place=London |isbn=978-0-12-823753-3}}</ref> [[Litter (zoology)|Litters]] typically consist of one to four cubs that are born fully furred but blind. They are entirely dependent on their mother for the first three to four months until they first leave the nest. They nurse for their first five months.<ref name="Roberts1979">{{cite journal|last1=Roberts|first1=M. S.|last2=Kessler|first2=D. S. |name-list-style=amp |year=1979|title=Reproduction in Red pandas, ''Ailurus fulgens'' (Carnivora : Ailuropodidae) |journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=188 |issue=2 |pages=235–249|doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1979.tb03402.x}}</ref> The bond between mother and offspring lasts until the next mating season. Cubs are fully grown at around 12 months and at around 18 months they reach [[sexual maturity]].<ref name="roberts+gittleman" /> Two radio-collared cubs in eastern Nepal separated from their mothers at the age of 7–8 months and left their birth areas three weeks later. They reached new home ranges within 26–42 days and became residents after exploring them for 42–44 days.<ref name=Bista_al2021b/>

=== Mortality and diseases===
The red panda's lifespan in captivity reaches 14 years.<ref name="roberts+gittleman" /> They have been recorded falling prey to [[leopard]]s in the wild.<ref name="Yonzon"/> Faecal samples of red panda collected in Nepal contained parasitic [[protozoa]], [[amoebozoa]]ns, [[roundworm]]s, [[trematodes]] and [[tapeworms]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Lama, S. T. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Lama, R. P. |author3=Regmi, G. R. |author4=Ghimire, T. R. |year=2015 |title=Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in free-ranging Red Panda ''Ailurus fulgens'' Cuvier, 1825 (Mammalia: Carnivora: Ailuridae) in Nepal |journal=Journal of Threatened Taxa |volume=7 |issue=8 |pages=7460–7464 |doi=10.11609/JoTT.o4208.7460-4 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Bista, D. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Shrestha, S. |author3=Kunwar, A. J. |author4=Acharya, S. |author5=Jnawali, S. R. |author6=Acharya, K. P. |year=2017 |title=Status of gastrointestinal parasites in Red Panda of Nepal |journal=PeerJ |volume=5 |page=e3767 |doi=10.7717/peerj.3767 |pmid=28894643 |pmc=5591639 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Roundworms, tapeworms and [[coccidia]] were also found in red panda scat collected in Rara and [[Langtang National Park]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Sharma, H. P. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Achhami, B. |year=2021 |title=Gastro-intestinal parasites of sympatric Red Panda and livestock in protected areas of Nepal |journal=Veterinary Medicine and Science |volume= 8|issue=2|pages=568–577 |pmid=34599791 |s2cid=238250774 |doi=10.1002/vms3.651 |pmc=8959333 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Fourteen red pandas at the [[Knoxville Zoo]] suffered from severe [[ringworm]], so the tails of two were [[Amputation|amputated]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Kearns, K. S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Pollock, C. G. |author3=Ramsay, E. C. |year=1999 |title=Dermatophytosis in Red Pandas (''Ailurus fulgens fulgens''): a review of 14 cases |journal=Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine |volume=30 |issue=4 |pages=561–563 |jstor=20095922|pmid=10749446 }}</ref> [[Chagas disease]] was reported as the cause of death of a red panda kept in a [[Kansas]] zoo.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Huckins, G. L. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Eshar, D. |author3=Schwartz, D. |author4=Morton, M. |author5=Herrin, B. H. |author6=Cerezo, A. |author7=Yabsley, M. J. |author8=Schneider, S. M. |year=2019 |title=''Trypanosoma cruzi'' infection in a zoo-housed Red Panda in Kansas |journal=Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation |volume=31 |issue=5 |pages=752–755 |doi=10.1177/1040638719865926 |pmid=31342874 |pmc=6727118 |doi-access=free}}</ref> ''[[Amdoparvovirus]]'' was detected in the scat of six red pandas in the [[Sacramento Zoo]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Alex, C. E. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Kubiski, S. V. |author3=Li, L. |author4=Sadeghi, M. |author5=Wack, R. F. |author6=McCarthy, M. A. |author7=Pesavento, J. B. |author8=Delwart, E. |author9=Pesavento, P. A. |year=2018 |title=''Amdoparvovirus'' infection in Red Pandas (''Ailurus fulgens'') |journal=Veterinary Pathology |volume=55 |issue=4 |pages=552–561 |doi=10.1177/0300985818758470 |pmid=29433401 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Eight captive red pandas in a Chinese zoo suffered from [[shortness of breath]] and [[fever]] shortly before they died of [[pneumonia]]; [[autopsy]] revealed that they had antibodies to the protozoans ''[[Toxoplasma gondii]]'' and ''[[Sarcocystis]]'' species indicating that they were [[intermediate hosts]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Yang, Y. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Dong, H. |author3=Su, R. |author4=Li, T. |author5=Jiang, N. |author6=Su, C. |author7=Zhang, L. |year=2019 |title=Evidence of Red Panda as an intermediate host of ''Toxoplasma gondii'' and ''Sarcocystis'' species |journal=International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife |volume=8 |pages=188–191 |doi=10.1016/j.ijppaw.2019.02.006 |pmid=30891398 |pmc=6403407 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2019IJPPW...8..188Y }}</ref> A captive red panda in the [[Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding]] died of unknown reasons; an autopsy showed that its [[kidney]]s, [[liver]] and [[lung]]s were damaged by a bacterial infection caused by ''[[Escherichia coli]]''.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Liu, S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Li, Y. |author3=Yue, C. |author4=Zhang, D. |author5=Su, X. |author6=Yan, X. |author7=Yang, K. |author8=Chen, X. |author9=Zhuo, G. |author10=Cai, T. |author11=Liu, J. |author12=Peng, X. |author13=Huo, R. |year=2020 |title=Isolation and characterization of uropathogenic ''Escherichia coli'' (UPEC) from Red Panda (''Ailurus fulgens'') |journal=BMC Veterinary Research |volume=16 |issue=1 |page=404 |doi=10.1186/s12917-020-02624-9 |pmid=33109179 |pmc=7590469 |doi-access=free}}</ref>