# Red panda (*Ailurus fulgens*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-panda  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is a mammal of the order Carnivora and the family Ailuridae. It is a medium-sized animal with an adult body mass of 4.9 kg, and our sources report values from 4.748 kg to 4.95 kg. It is a terrestrial, cathemeral herbivore of forest and shrubland, and its main foods are acorn, bird, egg as food, fruit, insect and moss. The red panda is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 4.75 kg – 4.95 kg |
| Length | 51 cm – 63.5 cm |
| Lifespan | 17.5 years – 19 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | acorn, bird, egg as food, fruit, insect, moss |
| Habitat | forest, shrubland |
| Gestation | 112 days – 158 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2 |
| Age at maturity | 18.1 months – 18.8 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Endangered (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Ailuridae
- genus: Ailurus
- species: *Ailurus fulgens* F. G. Cuvier, 1825

Synonyms: *Ailurus fulgens fulgens*, *Ailurus fulgens refulgens*, *Ailurus ochraceus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is a red panda?

The red panda is a mammal in the order Carnivora, suborder Caniformia, and family Ailuridae.

### How heavy is a red panda?

An adult red panda weighs 4.9 kg. Our sources report adult body mass from 4.748 kg to 4.95 kg.

### What does a red panda eat?

The red panda is a herbivore. Its main foods are acorn, bird, egg as food, fruit, insect and moss.

### Is the red panda endangered?

Yes. The red panda is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List, a threatened category.

### How long does a red panda live?

The red panda has a lifespan of 17.5 years, and our sources report up to 19 years.

### How many young does a red panda have?

A red panda has 2 young per litter and 1 litter per year, after a gestation period of 123.4 days.

### What habitats does the red panda live in?

The red panda lives in forest and shrubland, where it has a terrestrial lifestyle.

### Who named the red panda?

The red panda, Ailurus fulgens, was named by F. G. Cuvier, 1825.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Red panda (Ailurus fulgens). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-panda