A Baby Red Panda’s Color Changes Day by Day

This adorable little creature is actually a baby red panda. At birth, red panda cubs are covered in dull gray fur. After about a month, their coat gradually becomes richer in color, while the white markings on their faces and ears begin to appear. Their long, fluffy tails also develop around 12 alternating reddish-brown and dark rings. Interestingly, the red panda was originally called simply the panda, but after the giant panda was scientifically described in 1869, it eventually became known as the red panda to distinguish the two species. Red pandas are native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China, where they spend most of their lives high in cool mountain forests. When a red panda feels threatened, it may stand on its hind legs and raise both paws, almost as if it's surrendering. But this pose is actually meant to make the animal look bigger and more intimidating, as if it's saying, don't mess with me. And when a red panda sticks out its tongue, it isn't simply trying to look cute. Red pandas have a scent-detecting structure called the vomeronasal organ, or Jacobson's organ, located near the roof of the mouth. By flicking out their tongues, they can collect scent particles from the air and better detect predators, other animals, and potential danger nearby. Red pandas are incredibly playful and energetic. They love chasing, wrestling, and teasing one another. But sometimes their games get a little too rough and turn into a real fight. The smaller or less confident one may eventually give up and retreat. After losing, it might climb high into a tree and sit there all alone, looking sad and defeated, even in the pouring rain. From a distance, it can almost seem as if the little red panda is quietly crying after an argument with its friend. Fortunately, red pandas don't appear to hold a chasing each other, sharing the same space, and playing as if nothing ever happened. Their tiny disagreement is quickly forgotten, and they become inseparable once again. A red panda relaxing on a giant block of ice caught everyone's attention during an intense heat wave in Sichuan, China. As temperatures across the region approached 104 degrees Fahrenheit, the little animal was filmed lying flat on the ice with its tongue sticking out, desperately trying to cool down. The woman who captured the moment said the red panda looked so adorable that she immediately pulled out her phone to record it. On the day the video was taken, temperatures in Chengdu reached around 99 degrees Fahrenheit, and local authorities had issued heat warnings for nine consecutive days. Like giant pandas, red pandas eat plenty of bamboo, but they also have a serious sweet tooth, especially when it comes to apples. Remarkably, they are among the few non-primate mammals known to detect the sweetness of aspartame, thanks to unique differences in their sweet taste receptor genes. In zoos, keepers sometimes use small pieces of apple as rewards during training or health checks, but visitors should never feed or touch them without permission. Despite their adorable appearance, red pandas are naturally shy, gentle animals that usually prefer to keep their distance.