The red panda (ailurus fulgens), also known as the lesser panda, was a small mammal native to southwestern China and the eastern Himalayas.
They had dense reddish-brown fur, a white muzzle, ringed tail, and black belly and legs. Their head to body length was about 51-63.5 cm.
They were first formally recognized in 1825. The only two recognized subspecies, the Chinese red panda and the Himalayan, genetically diverged around 250,000 years ago.
For the past 15 years red pandas have been listed on the IUCN Red List. They faced threats of destruction and deforestation from humans.
In 2001 the population had decreased to less than 10,000 red pandas scattered across south-east Asia.