When it comes to animals that humans adore because of their cute and fluffy appearance, giant pandas and red pandas are at the top of the list.
They both have furry ears on the top of their heads, large eyes that look bigger because of their markings and fur-covered bodies with distinctive colourings.
When it comes to conservation status, they are both considered at risk due to the threat of humans who impact greatly on their fragile habitats.
Knowing the species and its behaviours intimately helps conservationists work in different ways to protect them.
Are red pandas and giant pandas related?
Despite sharing similar physical features to the giant panda, red pandas are not even close relatives. They belong to their own unique family (Ailuridae) and share traits with weasels and skunks.
Conversely, giant pandas are part of the bear family. However, it hasn't always been the case and the genetic makeup has been hotly debated. At one point giant pandas were placed in the Procyonidae family, which includes racoons. Giant pandas are the only members of their genus.
How to tell the difference between a red panda and a giant panda
You can identify a red panda from its thick, russet-coloured fur with black underbelly and limbs. It has white markings on its face and light-coloured ears.
The snout is short and the tail long and bushy tail. The red panda also has sharp, semi-retractable claws, flexible ankles and pseudothumbs.
The giant panda has a distinctive black-and-white coat – the body is mainly white, contrasting with black eyes, ears and limbs. It has a large head and short legs compared to other bears. Its teeth are wider and flatter too, to help it grind bamboo.
Red panda vs giant panda: size
When it comes to size, red pandas grow to the size of a house cat, between 56-62.5cm long without their tail, which is 37-47.2cm long. They can weigh between 3.6 and 7.7kg.
Giant pandas are huge in comparison, standing at 70-80cm tall at the shoulder and weighing around 100-150kg.
Red panda vs giant panda: habitat
Red pandas live up high in the forests of the Eastern Himalayas and other mountains, spread across Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar and Nepal. They spend most of their lives in trees, eating, sleeping and sunbathing.
Giant pandas live in mixed forests in the mountains of south-west China (the Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces). They live at lower altitudes of 1,500-3,400m. They may prefer to exists at lower altitudes, but they have been pushed out of lowland habitat by human encroachment.
Red panda vs giant panda: diet
One of the main similarities between the red and giant panda is what they eat – predominantly bamboo.
While red pandas are technically carnivores, in reality they rarely consume meat. In fact, 95% of their diet is bamboo.
Because their digestive system is set up for eating meat, they only actually digest 24% of what they eat. This means they have to eat a lot of it – up to 1.8kg every day. On the other hand, a giant panda must consume up to a huge 38kg of bamboo a day to survive.
While giant pandas feed on most of the bamboo plant, red pandas go for the leaf tips and tender shoots alone.
Red panda vs giant panda: conservation status
Human activity has massively impacted both red panda and giant panda numbers.
Red pandas are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List and there are fewer than 10,000 individuals left in the wild. Forest clearances and climate crisis - where higher temperatures force red pandas to higher altitudes – have greatly reduced their habitat.
Traps laid for animals such as deer and wild pigs are also a threat. In China and Myanmar, they are poached for their pelts.
The current wild population of giant pandas is estimated at over 1,800. Numbers are increasing, according to WWF, thanks to conservation efforts to protect, restore and link areas of panda habitat. The IUCN has downgraded its conservation status from Endangered to Vulnerable.
Red panda vs giant panda: breeding
Red pandas reach sexual maturity at 18 months old. The females are only fertile for a couple of days a year, but have developed a clever adaptation – delayed implantation – to ensure that cubs are born in the spring, when bamboo shoots are most tender.
Gestation can be anywhere between 93 to 156 days. She has one to four cubs per litter, although most commonly two. She weans cubs by around five months, but they stay with their mother for up to a year.
Giant panda females have an even shorter window of fertility – up to 72 hours per year. They are also choosy about their mates.
Females only give birth once every two to three years. The cub remains with its mother for two to three years before becoming independent, starting to transition from milk to bamboo at the age of six to eight months.
Red panda vs giant panda: lifespan
A red panda in the wild will live for around 10 years. A giant panda's lifespan is 14-20 years. But they can live up to 30 years in captivity.
Red panda vs giant panda: climbing
Both pandas are good climbers. Red pandas’ pseudothumbs help them get a firm grip while climbing, as do widely separated toes and semi-retractable claws.
Flexible ankles mean that they can climb down trees headfirst, while their long, bushy tails help with balance.
Young giant pandas like to rest in trees and are extremely adept climbers. However, the adults tend to stay on the ground. In the wild, this survival strategy helps keep the cub safe from predators such as jackals and snow leopards, while its mother feeds.
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Main image: Getty Images