Scientific name : Ailurus fulgens

 

Primary Species : The Red Panda is a cat-sized species of carnivorous mammal that is found inhabiting the temperate mountain forests on the slopes of the Himalayas.

 

The Two Sub-species of the Red Panda

The red panda has been previously classified in the families Procyonidae (raccoons) and Ursidae (bears), but recent research has placed it in its own family Ailuridae, in superfamily Musteloidea along with Mustelidae and Procyonidae.

 

Two subspecies are recognized:

• main-panda-fatAilurus fulgens fulgens: Found in Nepal, northeastern India (West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh), Bhutan, and part of China.

• Ailurus fulgens styani (also known as a. f. refulgens): Only found in China (in the Hengduan Mountains in Sichuan and the East Nujiang River of Yunnan Province) and northern Myanmar

Any detail on the animal's scientific classification

 

The Red Panda is also known by a number of different names in their native regions including the Lesser Panda, the Red Cat-Bear and as the Fire Fox in Nepal. Like their much larger cousin, the Red Panda relies on bamboo to feed and with rapid deforestation of these unique areas there is less and less for these animals to eat, which has ultimately led to the Red Panda being listed as being an endangered species.