Red pandas are adorable (even more so when they stand on their hind legs in the cutest defense mechanism ever). And no, they are not red-colored pandas (I know you're imagining that right now). A little floof has just been born at Idaho Zoo - the first ever red panda to be born there. As you can imagine, everyone is pretty excited about it.
This heart-breakingly cute creature was born on the 29th June 2019 at Idaho Zoo, and his name is Marvin. His mum, Delilah, is feeling some post-natal anxiety, so it's up to the Idaho zookeepers to raise Marvin to be a good little red panda (can you think of a better job?!).
Red pandas are an endangered species, so Marvin's birth is a very special occurrence. There are only around 10,000 red pandas left in the wild, but zoos around the world are doing their best to look after the species.
If red pandas aren't just red-colored pandas, what are they? Red pandas are actually a totally different species to the panda bear. It's thought that they were called 'panda' from the Nepali words "nigalya ponya" which mean "bamboo eater." Red pandas live in the Eastern Himalayas, including Nepal, Tibet, India, Bhutan, and Myanmar.
Both red pandas and panda bears have extended wrist bones which are engineered specifically to strip bamboo leaves from their stalks. Red pandas love bamboo, and eat 20-30% of their body weight of bamboo each day!
Red pandas are around the size of a common house cat. They are colored orangey-red, which keeps them warm in cooler climates. These beautiful animals are unique, endangered, and worth looking after. Good luck little Marvin, we're all rooting for you!
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