Red Panda blog follow-up



My good friend Murray Skinner read my Red Panda blog, of Feb. 11, and commented that he and his dear wife, Jo-Anne, had a Red Panda encounter when they visited Ghengdu, China, not long ago.   Murray pointed out that the Red Panda is also called the Lesser Panda in China.   Above is a photo that Murray took of that encounter.    I noticed that Jo-Anne is wearing plastic gloves, no doubt for hygenic reasons, and that the Red Panda looks bigger than a domestic house cat.   I had said it was about the same size as a domestic house cat, now I'm not so sure.   Further research says the Red Panda compares with a raccoon in size and weighs in at 3 - 6 kg. (7 to 13 lbs.).   Maybe it's all that fur and the big feet.   In any event, it looks like it was one of the highlights of Jo-Anne's day.   If you look closely, this panda is holding a biscuit or cookie in its right paw.   Both Red Pandas and the giant black and white Pandas have an extended wrist bone that functions like a thumb.
Please comment if you wish.
BtheB                                                                                     Photo by Murray Skinner