What do red pandas look like?
The red panda is a smaller relative of the well known giant panda. Other names for the red panda include: wah, lesser panda, hun-ho, and red cat bear. The red panda has a Latin name which means “fire colored cat” or “shining cat”. In China, people call the red panda “Wha” or “Chitwa” because of its twittering call. In 1825, the red panda was the only known panda in the west for more than 50 years. The red panda is important socially, scientifically and economically. It is the national animal of Sikkim. It is about ten pounds–a little bigger larger than an ordinary, large housecat and has rusty red fur that is long and coarse, with an undercoat that is soft, dense, and woolly. This coloring enables them to blend in with reddish moss and white lichen in fir trees. It is similar in appearance to a raccoon because it also has a short white nose, dark circles around its eyes, erect ears, and a long, striped, bushy tail. The tail is used for balance when the red panda is in a tree, and whil
