lesser panda

n. See panda.

lesser panda

n (Animals) See panda²

pan•da

(ˈpæn də)

n., pl. -das. 1. Also called giant panda. a white-and-black bearlike mammal, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, now restricted to Central China, where it feeds mainly on bamboo: classified either as a bear or as a raccoon, or more generally the sole member of its own family, the Ailuropodidae. 2. Also called lesser panda, red panda. a reddish brown, raccoonlike mammal, Ailurus fulgens, of the Himalayas and adjacent regions, feeding mainly on bamboo and other vegetation: usu. classified as the only Old World member of the raccoon family. [1825–35; < French (Cuvier), a name for the lesser panda, perhaps < a Tibeto-Burman language of the SE Himalayas]

Thesaurus

Noun

lesser panda - reddish-brown Old World raccoon-like carnivore; in some classifications considered unrelated to the giant pandasAilurus fulgens, bear cat, cat bear, red panda, pandaprocyonid - plantigrade carnivorous mammalsAilurus, genus Ailurus - lesser pandas

Lesser Panda

(Ailurus fulgens), a mammal of the family Procyonidae of the order Carnivora. The body length is 51–64 cm, the tail length is 28–48 cm, and the weight is 3–4.5 kg. The thick, soft coat is reddish yellow above and reddish brown to black beneath. The tail is ringed, and the head has light markings resembling a mask.

The lesser panda is distributed from southwestern China northward to Burma and Nepal. It dwells in bamboo forests at elevations from 2,000 to 4,000 m. A nocturnal animal, the lesser panda sleeps in tree hollows during the day. The animal feeds on vegetable substances and, occasionally, on small vertebrates. A litter consisting of one or two young is produced each year. The lesser panda may be easily tamed and adapts to captivity.

lesser panda

lesser panda

lesser panda

pan•da

Lesser Panda

Lesser Panda

lesser panda

Synonyms for lesser panda

noun reddish-brown Old World raccoon-like carnivore

Synonyms

Related Words