Red panda: The animal that can fight off cyanide poisoning 

When you think of a panda, your mind conjures up the image of a black and white, huge, cuddly bear-like animal munching on a bamboo, and rightly so! After all, we have all wanted to be a panda or at least meet one, once in a lifetime. 

But here’s a surprise for you. Pandas can also be red and tiny. Wait, what? Yes, that’s right, we are talking about an animal called red panda. And guess what? It’s in no way related to the giant panda. In fact, giant pandas weigh at least 200 pounds, while a red panda is the size of a house cat. Sounds weird, right? Oh, if you are still finding it hard to imagine a red panda, just think about a small-sized racoon-like animal with round face, pointy ears, long and bushy tails and most importantly red fur.  

That’s awesome! But where do they live? They prefer rainy, high-altitude forests as their habitat. In fact, that’s one of the reasons why they are majorly found in the mountains of Nepal, India,  Myanmar, and China, especially in the heart of the Himalayas.  

For those of you who have some idea about red pandas, you might recognise them from numerous cute internet memes due to their fluffy, cute faces and hilarious hijinks. Not only that, a new surge of interest in this animal is now sparked by Disney's recently released film Turning Red. Directed by Domee Shi, the movie talks about the tale of Meilin "Mei" Lee, a 13-year-old girl who turns into a giant red panda when she experiences strong emotions. Sounds fun and exciting, isn’t it? Let us now quickly delve into some of the interesting facts about red panda.  

Red panda can digest cyanide  
Are you thinking what we are thinking? How on earth can a living being digest cyanide? Well, for starters, red panda can indeed do so. How? Well, it has evolved in such a way, thanks to its primary diet that comprises of bamboo. For those unaware, bamboo is rich in cyanide content, as a result, red panda have developed the unique ability neutralize cyanide in their digestive system, without harming itself in the process. How extraordinary and strange is that! However, despite this unusual survival trait alongside other capabilities like coping frigid temperatures and fighting off predators, the red panda has a high mortality rate. In fact, that’s the reason why it is now an endangered species. Sad, right?  

Red panda is primarily a vegetarian, yet it is called a carnivore 
Speaking of highly modified digestive system, we must also tell you another fascinating fact about the red panda. It has a digestive system that can digest meat and flesh too. Even though the animal primarily feeds on bamboo, from time to time it also indulges in carnivorous behaviour and hunts for grubs, birds, small mammals, and insects. This also means that while it intakes plant fibres and carbs, its gut health is also designed to digest animal protein and fats. Additionally, red panda has something called the umami taste receptor gene or  TAS1R1, which enables it to recognize components in meat and other high-protein foods such as flowers, fruits like berries, eggs, mushrooms, maple and mulberry leaves. 

Fun fact: Red panda can digest more than 40 distinct types of bamboo, yet struggles with cellulose assimilation.  

Red Panda is the ‘true’ panda 
As already mentioned, the red and giant panda are not the same. However, they do have some common traits such as a taste for bamboo, an extra opposable finger, known as a pseudo thumb and they both originated in Asia's Himalayan forests. And of course, they are both extremely adorable. 

But despite these similarities, here’s why the red panda is the ‘true’ panda. Turns out, it’s the red panda that belongs to the real-panda family, that is taxonomically distinct and is called the Ailuridae. In contrast, the giant panda is a member of the ‘bear’ family Ursidae. Not only that, red pandas were also the first species to be discovered by western scientist Frédéric Cuvier in 1825, almost 48 years before the black-and-white bears were found, which we today identify and love as pandas. In addition, the red ‘real’ panda also derived its name from the Nepalese "Nigalya Ponya," which means ‘bamboo eater.’ In fact, the name ‘panda’ that was later given to the black and white giant versions was because they shared characteristics with the red panda.  

If you are wondering how after all this the giant panda is much more popular than the red panda, it’s maybe because, one, they are rare and two, very tiny!  

Red panda is a master camouflager and an excellent climber 
The red panda's rusty coat that earns it the name might seem bold for a species that thrives in forests. However, it's this hue that helps red pandas blend in with the surroundings of its habitat, allowing the animal to easily camouflage in their natural environment. For example, trees are covered in reddish-brown moss and lichens in the Himalayan forests and they easily blend with it. In fact, if you walk past a red panda in the wild, chances are you might not even notice it. Plus, it is silent in nature (occasionally, when it is excited, it makes a sound called ‘huff-quack’ that is somewhat a blend of duck’s quack and a pig’s snort), contrary to giant panda that is known to growl. Additionally, red pandas have black fur on their belly and legs, a boon that camouflages them in the dense undergrowth and protects them from predators like snow leopards. But that isn’t the only way the red panda escapes potential predators. It also is an excellent climber and is often deemed for its speed.  

Red panda is an at-risk species 
There are more than one reasons why the red panda is an endangered species. For starters, there’s high rate of deforestation in the Himalayan belt to clear route for trekkers. Moreover, red panda also faces threat from hunters and poachers for their attractive fur that are used by humans to make hats and coats. In fact, you will be surprised to know that currently there are approximately only 2500 red pandas remaining in the wild.  

However, there’s also a natural reason why red pandas are less in number. It’s because, female red pandas only give birth to two cubs yearly on an average as they have a prolonged gestation period, unlike most mammals.  

Additionally, red pandas are sensitive to parasites, which enhances their death rate. For instance, red pandas from Nepal are very sensitive to endoparasites that can be fatal. Similarly, red pandas kept in captivity have shown parasite infestation. Sources cite that more than 40 per cent dead red pandas in Europe died of pneumonia within 30 days of birth. Unfortunate, right?  

So, as you can understand, the red panda is now an at-risk species and needs intense efforts in protecting and multiplying.