Red panda

Although these small mammals may look like bears, they’re actually in a genus of their own called Airlurinae.

They are mainly solitary animals, territorial, with a lifespan of about 8 – 10 years. They specialise in eating bamboo – their sharp, curved claws can retract and a false thumb, giving them a fantastic, strong grip. Their thick white hair conserves their body heat in cold habitat and a dense underwool keeps them warm and dry.

Look for them in the trees! This is where they spend most of their time browsing or sleeping. In the wild, red pandas are usually only awake for around half the day. Much like domestic cats, they spend time after waking up cleaning their fur followed by territorial marking and feeding. They are quiet animals and only communicate when they must, via twittering and some whistling.

The future survival of these beautiful pandas is increasingly vulnerable due to climate change and as developers are taking over the bamboo forests which they depend on to live in China, the Himalayas and Nepal.