Today is National Pepperoni Pizza Day and International Red Panda Bear Day
Here's a super simple pizza idea for Spooky Season
And here's an option that is very tricky as well as pretty simple: Skull Pizzas
🍕➨🐼
Moving on to something fluffier ...
If you're not familiar with red pandas, get ready for a 2-minute crash course on these incredibly charming and unique mammals.
Appearance
Red pandas are easily recognizable by their dense reddish-brown fur, black belly and legs, white-lined ears, mostly white muzzle, and a long, bushy tail with alternating red and buff rings. Their faces also feature reddish-brown "tear" marks extending from their eyes. Their soft, woolly undercoat and long, bushy tail help them maintain balance in trees and provide protection from cold.
Size
They are much smaller than giant pandas, weighing typically between 8 and 17 pounds (3.6 and 7.7 kg) and measuring about 22 to 25 inches (56 to 62.5 cm) long, plus a tail of 14.6 to 18.6 inches (37 to 47.2 cm).
Habitat
Red pandas are native to the high-altitude, temperate forests of the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. Their range includes Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, and the Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces of China. They favor steep slopes with dense bamboo cover and are often found near water sources.
Diet
Despite being classified as carnivores, their diet is highly specialized and primarily herbivorous. About 95% of a red panda's diet consists of bamboo, specifically the most nutritious leaf tips and tender shoots. They are much pickier than giant pandas, who eat almost all parts of the bamboo plant. Occasionally, they might supplement their diet with fruits, roots, grasses, insects, bird eggs, and even small mammals.
Behavior
Red pandas are largely arboreal (tree-dwelling) and mostly solitary, except during mating season. They are primarily crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk, though they can also be active at night or during the day. They spend a significant portion of their day sleeping (around 15 hours). They are agile climbers, descending trees headfirst, and use their bushy tails for balance. They communicate through scent marking (using glands on their footpads and anal glands) and various vocalizations like whistles, quack-snorts, twitters, and squeals. When threatened, they might stand on their hind legs to appear larger.
Taxonomy and Relationship to Giant Pandas
The red panda's taxonomic classification has been a subject of scientific debate for a long time. They were initially thought to be related to raccoons due to physical similarities and later considered part of the bear family. However, modern genetic research has placed them in their own unique family: Ailuridae. This means they are not closely related to giant pandas, even though they share the "panda" name and eat bamboo. Genetic studies suggest they are more closely related to skunks, raccoons, and weasels. There are two recognized subspecies, the Himalayan red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) and the Chinese red panda (Ailurus fulgens styani), which diverged genetically about 250,000 years ago.
Conservation Status
Sadly, red pandas are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with their population decreasing. Estimates suggest fewer than 10,000 mature individuals remain in the wild, and their numbers have shrunk by an estimated 40% over the past two decades. The main threats they face include:
- Habitat Loss and Fragmentation—Due to deforestation for human settlement, agriculture, logging, and mining
- Poaching and Illegal Trade—Sadly, they are hunted for their distinctive fur and meat
- Competition and Disease—Livestock grazing in their habitat reduces food availability, and diseases like canine distemper from domestic dogs can be fatal
Conservation efforts are underway, including establishing protected areas and reforestation projects, but red pandas remain a species in urgent need of protection. (Sounds like we should add them to our Fabled Creature & Endangered Monster Rescue beneficiaries list)