Red pandas are not pandas! But they are just as cute. These adorable animals spend most of their lives in the trees and are known for their excellent acrobatic skiils.

They live alone, except when they have babies and are territorial. Red pandas are nocturnal. 

Red pandas are endangered. They are hunted for their fur and sometimes kept as pets. Also, the forests where they live are cut down. There are fewer than 10,000 red pandas left in the wild. 

Red pandas are also in danger from predators such as snow leopards, martens and big birds.

acrobatic skills: they can climb, jump and balance 

territorial: keep their own space

nocturnal: sleep in the day and are awake at night

predators: animals that hunt and eat other animals

Red pandas are quite small, about the size of a housecat. 

They weigh about 8-17 lbs (3.6-7.7kg). 

Their bodies are 22-25 inches long (56-64 cm) but their tails are about 15-19 inches (38-48 cm)! These bushy tails are very important. They can use their tails to keep themselves warm. Their tails also help them to keep their balance when they are high up in the trees.

Red pandas can turn their feet backwards! This helps them to get down from the trees. They can hold on to the tree tightly with their sharp claws.

They have a lovely reddish-brown colour which helps them to hide in the trees.

balance - they can stop themselves from falling

backwards - the other way around

Red pandas are ominivores. This means they eat both plants and animals. 

90-95% of their food is bamboo! They can eat 20,000 bamboo leaves a day!

They eat the soft leaves and shoots of the bamboo plant. They can also eat roots, insects, berries and small eggs.

Mother red pandas have litters of around 4 cubs.  The cubs weigh only 3-4 oz (90-110g) when they are born. They are also born blind and deaf but they do have lots of fur.  This is because of the cold habitat they live in. The mother will keep them warm in a nest she makes in a hollow tree where they will stay for 2-3 months. 

Their mother will look after them carefully for about 1 year.

blind and deaf: cannot see or hear

hollow: empty inside