Diet
Red pandas feed almost exclusively on bamboo. Enlarged wrist bones known as pseudothumbs help them grasp their food efficiently.

Behavior
Red pandas are typically solitary but may travel in pairs or small family groups. Typically nocturnal and crepuscular (active at dusk and dawn), they sleep in trees during the day.

Usually gentle, curious and quiet, these mild-mannered mammals will stand on their hind legs and hiss or snort when threatened. Other vocalizations include short whistles or squeaking notes. Red pandas also mark their territories with a musky odor produced by glandular sacs in their anal regions.

Reproduction
Red pandas give birth from mid-May to mid-July, with gestation ranging from 90 to 150 days (average 134 days). Females give birth to one to four offspring. While red panda newborns are fully-furred, they are blind and helpless. Although usually weaned by the time they are 5 months old, the young remain with their mothers through their first year or until another litter arrives. Males take no part in rearing young.