The small panda, red panda or cat bear (Ailurus fulgens) is an endangered species that lives in the eastern Himalayan Mountains and southwestern China. Like the giant panda, it eats bamboo. The small panda is not a bear, but belongs to the superfamily Musteloidea and the family cat bears (Ailuridae) of which it is the only living species. The small panda is more closely related to raccoons than to bears.
There are two subspecies, Ailurus fulgens fulgens and Ailurus fulgens styani. Some researchers think that the differences between the two are big enough to talk about two different species: Ailurus fulgens from the Himalayas and the Chinese Ailurus styani. In 2020, a study also confirmed this genomically,[2][3][1] However, the rest of this article assumes one species with two subspecies.
We are Loek and Karin Lobel, and our passion is animal photography, both in the wild and in zoos.
We are loek en Karin Lobel and we love to take pictures in the wild but also in the Zoo...
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