Life in the Fast Lane

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Love is in the air at Kawasaki Yumemigasaki Zoo in Japan where 2 passionate pandas are the main attraction, creating panda-monium and amazing the crowds with their public displays of affection as the Red Pandas are in lip-lock for more than an hour a day.

This marks a new behavior for the cousins to the Giant Panda, as Red Pandas are typically solitary creatures. The zoo keeper said the kissing panda’s behavior is baffling. “It is very unusual for male and females to seek each other out when they are not in heat, so yes it is strange.” he said.

He said they had been getting along well for many years, and since their kissing behavior has surpassed the mating season, he assumes it comes from a developing love.

The female panda Yoyo was born at the zoo and met her ‘boyfriend’ — also named Yoyo — when he moved to Yumemigasaki from another zoo 8 years ago.

The average lifespan for Red Pandas is 8 to 10 years but can reach a maximum of 15 years. The kissing bandits remain cub-less though they’re still trying — their kissing and embracing goes on for up to 10 minutes, making their den a pucker-pit.

The Red Panda is mainly herbivorous and specialized as a bamboo feeder. They’re slightly larger than a domestic cat averaging 31 to 47 inches (79 to 120 centimeters) long including their tail length of 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 centimeters), with males weighing 10 to 14 pounds (4.5 to – 6 kilos).

They have long, soft reddish-brown fur on upper parts, blackish fur on lower parts, and a light face with tear markings. The face has white badges similar to those of a raccoon, but each individual can have distinctive markings. They have medium-sized upright ears, a black nose, and nearly pitch black eyes. Their long bushy tail with six alternating yellowish red transverse ocher rings provides balance and camouflage against its environment. The legs are black, short and bear-like with thick fur on the soles of the paws hiding scent glands and serving as thermal insulation on snow-covered or ice surfaces.

The Red Panda has curved and sharp semi-retractile claws standing inward for firm grasping to facilitate movement on narrow tree branches. Like the Giant Pandas, they have a ‘false thumb’ that is actually an extension of the wrist bone.

They are native to the Himalayas in Bhutan, southern China, India, Laos, Nepal, and Myanmar. The Red Panda is the state animal in the Indian state of Sikkim and the mascot of the Darjeeling international festivals.

Classified as endangered, there is an estimated population of less than 2,500 mature individuals. Their population continues to decline due to habitat fragmentation.

Red Pandas are most active at dawn and dusk. They are inactive during the day resting in the branches of trees and in tree hollows, increasing their activity only in the late afternoon and / or early evening hours. They sleep during the hot noontime in the shade of treetops, often lying stretched out on forked branches or rolled up in tree caves with their tail covering their face.

Red Pandas are very skillful and acrobatic animals that live predominantly in trees. They are excellent climbers and forage largely in trees. They rummage around for food at night, running along the ground or through the trees with speed and agility.

They cannot digest cellulose, so they must consume a large volume of bamboo to survive. The Red Panda does little more than eat and sleep due to their low calorie diet.

The Red Panda is a solitary animal, usually seeking a partner only for mating from the end of December to the middle of February. They are basically loners, and only rarely live in pairs or in groups of families. After a gestation period of 112 to 158 days the female gives birth to 1 to 4 cubs between the end of May to the beginning of July, and always sometime between 4 p.m. and 9 a.m. during its activity period. A few days before the birth the female begins to collect material such as brushwood, grass and sheets to use for the nest, usually located in a hollow tree or a rock column.

After the birth the mother cleans the cubs, which enables her to immediately recognize each by knowing its smell. The cubs begin to open their eyes about 18 days later, but not fully until 30 to 40 days. The litter remains at the nest for 12 weeks. 14 days after they leave the safety of the nest, they begin the process of learning to care for themselves, but can only do so after about 5 months.

Red Panda Kissing Bandits

Sources: Metro, Reuters and Wikipedia

Copyright 2007 Life in the Fast Lane

Related stories:
Pandas Send-off to Spain from Chengdu Research Base
Hug a Giant Panda
Zoo Turns Pando Poo to Profit

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