Why are red pandas red?
Red pandas are red because it hides them. Their ruddy, cinnamon coat blends into the canopy of the fir forests they live in, where branches and trunks are covered with clumps of reddish-brown moss and white lichen. A bright red animal sounds easy to spot, but in its own trees the red panda's red body and pale face match the forest almost exactly.
Camouflage in a mossy canopy
Red pandas spend most of their time in trees, and that is where the color makes sense. The Smithsonian's National Zoo describes the coat as camouflage within fir branches covered with reddish-brown moss and white lichens. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance makes the same point: the cinnamon red coat, sometimes washed with orange or yellow, and the soft cream face mask give great camouflage among the red moss and white lichen on the trunks of their bamboo forest homes. Seen from the ground, a red panda curled on a mossy branch can look like part of the tree.
The rest of the outfit
- Face mask and "tear" marks. The face is white with reddish-brown tear marks running from the eyes to the corners of the mouth. The Smithsonian suggests these markings could have evolved to help keep the sun out of their eyes, though that is a hypothesis rather than a proven function.
- Black legs and belly. The legs and belly shade to black, in sharp contrast to the red body (WWF, San Diego Zoo).
- A ringed tail. The long, bushy tail has alternating red and buff rings, more pronounced on some individuals than others. It helps with balance in the trees and works as a wrap against cold and wind.
- Two layers of fur. A soft, dense woolly undercoat sits under long, coarse guard hairs, and fur covers even the soles of the feet.
Cubs start out gray
Red pandas are not born red. Cubs arrive with thick buff and gray fur, eyes and ears closed, hidden in a den. According to San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, they nurse until about 13 to 22 weeks old, and their woolly gray hair changes to red at around that time.
Not every red panda is the same red
Red pandas come in two forms, the Himalayan red panda and the Chinese red panda, which some scientists now treat as two separate species. A 2020 genomic study in Science Advances describes the Chinese red panda as having a redder face with less white on it and more distinct tail rings. The Smithsonian notes the Chinese form also tends to be larger and deeper red.
A name that means "fire colored"
The color is written into the name. When Frédéric Cuvier described the species in 1825 he called it Ailurus fulgens, and fulgens means fire colored or shining. The Chinese name, hun-ho, means "fire fox." For how this coat compares with the giant panda's very different black and white pattern, see why are pandas black and white? and our giant panda vs red panda guide.
Frequently asked questions
Why are red pandas red?
Their russet coat works as camouflage in the canopy of the fir forests where they live, where branches and trunks are covered with reddish-brown moss and white lichen.
Are red panda cubs born red?
No. Cubs are born with thick buff and gray fur. According to San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, the woolly gray hair changes to red at around the time they stop nursing, between 13 and 22 weeks old.
Are all red pandas the same color?
No. A 2020 genomic study describes the Chinese red panda as having a redder face with less white and more distinct tail rings than the Himalayan red panda, and the Smithsonian notes the Chinese form tends to be deeper red.