2. Ni Hao!
I’m Zhu,
the
red panda!
We share the same name but I’m not related
to the giant panda at all!
3. I’m not related to the raccoon either though
we do kind of look alike!
Red pandas are part of our
own unique family...
4. I live in the
bamboo
forests
of
Central China
I have family all over the Himalayas
including...
5. Red pandas are small.
I’m the same size as my cat friend!
IBeing small is helpful since I like
taking naps on tree branches.
6. I like sleeping during
the day
and playing
all night!
I’m three months old. I’m
big enough to
explore the forest with my
mom!
7. Walking on tree branches is hard but my tail
helps me balance.
I also have “false”
thumbs that help me
climb!
8. Technically I’m a carnivore but I eat like a herbi-
vore!
Carnivores are
animals that eat
meat.
Herbivores are
animals that eat
plants.
My favorite snacks are bamboo leaves, berries,
bird eggs, and blossoms. Yummy!
9. When I’m really hungry I can eat up to 45% of
my body weight.
That’s about 200,00
bamboo leaves!
When I need help, I make a “twittering” sound to
get my mom’s attention.
10. The forest is a scary place with snow leopards
hiding in the shadows.
Luckily my red and white
fur helps me blend in with
the trees.
11. I also have sharp claws. No one will want to mess
with me!
When I’m a year old, I’ll live on my own. Adults
like to live alone.
12. Though during the winter, the adults look out for
mates!
Then they will build nests made out of sticks and
leaves, and one to four cubs.
13. Having cubs is good because there’s not a lot of
us left. There’s less than 10,000 adults in the wild!
That makes me sad...
With our homes being destroyed and
humans hunting us for our fur, it’s no red pandas
are endangered!
14. Thanks to the International Trade in Threatened
and Endangered species..
We are
protected and
growing in
numbers!
We’re pretty famous. Humans all over the world
know who we are.
The Lepcha people call us
“sak nam”.
We’re called “bhalu biralo” or bear-cat in
Nepal
In China, we’re known as
hóngxióngmāo (熊猫/紅熊貓)
or red panda
15. We’re really important to human culture. For
example...
Red pandas are the mascot of the
International Tea Festival in Darjeeling, India!
We’re also inspired a lot
of pop culture
characters!
Pabu from “Legend of Korra”
Master Shifu from
“Kung Fu Panda”.
Mozilla
FireFox!
16. IBeing a red panda is the best!
Thanks for reading.
