I am Ailurus fulgens.
I look a bit like a cat, but much bigger than a cat. Although the limbs are short and thick, the claws are not yet able to stretch and contract freely like cats. But it is not a family fact, scientists have long been conclusive. We belong to the genus Red Panda in the family Red Pandas, while cats belong to the cat family Cat genus.
▼ The | red panda image comes from http://tu.enterdesk.com
I was covered in maroon fur, which is not what a cat would have. In 1825, when the French zoologist Frédéric Cuvier introduced "fulgens" (meaning "fiery red") as the seed addition to our Latin scientific name, it revealed his love for the unusually beautiful appearance of our red pandas. Because of this reddish-brown fur, we got an English name - Red Panda, which translates to red panda, red cat bear or something. I was once recognized as a raccoon. This...... Is my red hair white?
We have a long, fluffy tail with nine brown-and-yellow rings on the tail, and then we have nine awkward names such as wolves and golden dogs.
▼ Photo by Xu Jian, | red panda
We have white patches around our ears, around our mouths, on our cheeks, and above our eyes. So cute, why would anyone think we have a serious face. If we have open arms, spread our palms, and stand on our legs – be careful! This is our signature defensive posture. Doesn't it look like a deterrent?
▼ The | red panda picture comes from The Sugar Pile Rachel Gao
We live in mountainous forests and jungles, never picky eaters, and eat almost anything. We are chubby, walking and twisting, often accompanied by a soft 'click'. As long as the claws do not touch hard objects such as stones, there is no movement when walking on the soft ground.
The daimyo of the "panda" who was snatched away by the national treasure
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Few people may know that the famous name "panda" was originally used to call us red pandas, rather than the cuteness of these national treasures now. As early as 1915, in the "Zhonghua Da Zidian", which was written in 1915 and published in 1935, there was the term "panda" and the painting was given, whether it was a text description or a picture, describing our red panda, not the giant panda. I don't know why, by 1938, the "panda" entry included in the "Cihai" published by the mainland was already the current giant panda.
Tear down the classification of the overhaul and the re-enactment
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Scientists who like to tear us down and start over and never get tired are the most fond of classifying us. We were once classified into the Bear family and the Raccoon family of the Americas, and now we think that the kitten bear family to which we belong is an independently evolved branch, which belongs to the same family as the ferret family and the raccoon family. Just be happy!
China is the only country with 2 species of red pandas
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Although fossils of red panda species have been found in Europe and North America, the red panda family is endemic to present-day Asia, endemic to temperate forests in the eastern Himalayas.
According to the latest research by scientists, our family is divided into two separate species: Ailurus styani and Ailurus fulgens.
Bounded by the Nu River, the Ailurus styani is found in the hilly areas of Mainland Tibet, Nepal, India and Sikkim; Common red pandas (Ailurus fulgens) are found in northern Myanmar, as well as in Sichuan and Yunnan on the mainland. The mainland is the only country with 2 species of red pandas.
We loved staying in the alpine dense forest
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We prefer mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests that inhabit the high mountains, especially the areas with intact virgin forests and dense arrowroots. Although we are a highland species, the highest is about 4800 meters above sea level, and no matter how high, to be honest, we can't stand it.
▼ Photo by | Zou Tao
Who says fat people can't be master tree climbers
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Although I am slightly fat and don't look too light, how can this stop me from becoming a master tree climber. Of course, moving slightly slower is also for safety reasons. As the saying goes, it is easy to go up the tree and it is difficult to go down, but how can this be difficult for me. I would turn my ankles with a special structure to control the downward rhythm – a special skill that only a few climbing species have. I spend most of my day in the trees (actually sleeping), basically only coming down for a walk in the morning and evening.
▼ Photo by | Zou Tao
Our recipes
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As a medium-sized carnivorous mammal, in order to better survive in the harsh living environment, not being picky eaters is the most basic principle.
Our daily dietary list includes: small mammals, various birds, bird eggs, of course, meat and vegetarian is the way to health, we also eat flowers, berries, seeds and mushrooms.
However, the above is only one-third of the total recipe. The other two-thirds are similar to the national treasure fat giant panda: all kinds of bamboo and bamboo shoots.
To make it easier to eat bamboo, we evolved a special limb structure: strong, curved, and semi-retractable claws that can be grasped inward. There is also a "false thumb" similar to that of giant pandas, which is extended by a section of the wrist bone.
Although we love to eat bamboo, our pain point is that the digestion and absorption of bamboo is very poor. Therefore, we must eat a large number of highly nutritious parts such as young leaves and shoots of bamboo every day in order to maximize the extraction of nutrients from them. So throughout the day, in addition to sleeping, we are similar to the national treasure fat, that is, eating, eating, eating.
▼ The | picture of the red panda is from Sina @ Poetry Garden
Don't say visit relatives and friends, your life is hanging
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Our footprints once spread across Eurasia, and now we are mainly distributed in the Hengduan Mountains in the southwest of the mainland (southern Tibet, western Sichuan, western and northwestern Yunnan). Our family members are found in 35 protected areas, which cover 42.4% of the world's red panda habitat. The population of our family members in Sichuan is larger and more stable than in Yunnan. Historically, there were red pandas in Guizhou, Gansu, Shaanxi and Qinghai on the mainland, and our family population has long been extinct in the wild.
At present, the number of red pandas in the wild is estimated to be less than 10,000, and there is a trend of continued decline. That's why we've been listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species since 2008.
Human exploitation of forests has fragmented our habitats, and now we have fewer and fewer territories to live in peace and freedom. In order to avoid the human axe machine, away from their captive cats, dogs and dogs or livestock, we can only choose to scatter and flee, each of them to save their lives. Wanting to make friends in the forest and visit the door has become a luxury. More and more isolated populations began to form. However, this is not the deadliest thing, hunting and poaching are the biggest threats we face. It is heard that in the past 50 years, the number of red pandas in China has dropped by 40%, while the number in the pan-Himalayan region may be even lower.
As red pandas, our desire is also small, we just want a quiet forest, eat bamboo and sleep. Human beings, let's make a friend, but it is better to see each other than to miss!
【About the Author】
Liu Jing graduated from Tianjin University of Foreign Chinese and has been teaching English for children for 17 years. He is now responsible for the recruitment of volunteers of Cangshan Nature Center and the interpretation of Cangshan Natural Image Museum. Familiar with the many hiking routes in Cangshan Mountain, familiar with the forest birds and water birds around the Erhai Sea in Cangshan Mountain. He has hiked Cangshan Mountain, Erhai Sea, Shaxi, Luoshi River, Jizu Mountain, Bird Hanging Mountain, Tangjiahe Nature Reserve and other places many times, and has led a number of nature observation summer camps and winter camps.
Bin Wang is a nature photographer, nature recorder, and lecturer in nature education. The taxonomy of mammals and birds, the scientific consultant and editor of the Animal World Public Account, uses images to interpret species behavior and ecological secrets. He has participated in the compilation of "Heihe Shengshan Nature Reserve Nature Observation Atlas", "Medical Witch Lushan Natural Observation Atlas", "Chinese Natural Image Chronicle", "Shushan Rainbow" and other books.
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Text| Liu Jing, Wang Bin
Editor| Zhou Yuanzheng
Typesetting | Yao Yuan