Facts About Red Pandas | 台北市立動物園資訊網

Red pandas are small mammals with long, fluffy tails and red and white markings. Though they share a name with the more famous giant panda, they are not closely related. In fact, the name panda was first applied to these animals, and not to the larger black-and-white bear. 

According to the San Diego Zoo[1], Frédéric Cuvier, a French zoologist, first described the red panda in 1825, about 48 years before the giant panda was cataloged. He called it the most beautiful animal he had ever seen and named it Ailurus fulgens, meaning fire-colored, or shining, cat. The common name, panda, may be derived from a Nepalese name for these animals, nigalya ponya, which may have meant bamboo footed. The giant panda[2] was given its name later because of similarities to the red panda.

Other names for the red panda include lesser panda, cat-bear, bear-cat, Himalayan raccoon, fox bear and firefox, according to the San Diego Zoo. The mascot of the Firefox Web browser[3] is a red panda, a...