The birthplace of the red panda is the southeastern part of the Himalayan Mountains, where it is found at an altitude of 2000-4000 m. The range of the small panda is limited to the provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan in China, north of Burma, Bhutan, Nepal and the north India. To the west of Nepal it was not met. The ancestors of the present pandas were spread much more widely – their remains are found both in Eastern Europe and in North America. Obviously, these animals were adapted to a certain type of climate, with a change which sharply reduced their area.
The trunk of the small panda is elongated, the coat is thick, soft, smooth and very long. From the thick and soft furs its body seems thicker than it really is. The tail is fluffy, the head is very wide, with a short sharp muzzle. The ears are small, round, eyes too small. The paws are short, strong, have hairy feet (suitable for walking on snow and ice), which during walking only half touch the ground, and short fingers are provided with strongly bent claws. Unlike other bears, the claws of a small panda are partially retractable (semi-heavy). On his wrist, the panda has an enlarged radial bone of the sesamoid bone of the front paw – an “additional finger”. It is opposed to the other fingers, which allows the panda to hold slender branches of bamboo in its front paws. There are no differences in the appearance of males and females. The number of teeth 38.
