Abstract
The red panda (Ailurus fulgens) has a similar diet, primarily bamboo, and shares the same habitat as the giant panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca. There are considerable efforts underway to understand the ecology of the red panda and to increase its populations in natural reserves. Yet it is difficult to design an effective strategy for red panda reintroduction if we do not understand its basic biology. Here we report the resting metabolic rate of the red panda and find that it is higher than previously measured on animals from a zoo. The resting metabolic rate was 0.290 ml/g/h (range 0.204–0.342) in summer and 0.361 ml/g/h in winter (range 0.331–0.406), with a statistically significant difference due to season and test temperature. Temperatures in summer were probably within the thermal neutral zone for metabolism but winter temperatures were below the thermal neutral zone. There was no difference in metabolic rate between male and female red pandas and no difference due to mass. Our values for metabolic rate were much higher than those measured by McNab for 2 red pandas from a zoo. The larger sample size (17), more natural conditions at the Panda Base and improved accuracy of the metabolic instruments provided more accurate metabolism measurements. Contrary to our expectations based on their low quality bamboo diet, the metabolic rates of red pandas were similar to mammals of the same size. Based on their metabolic rates red pandas would not be limited by their food supply in natural reserves.
Highlights
The red panda (Ailurus fulgens) (Cuvier, 1825) is called a “panda”, but molecular and chromosomal data place it in its own family, Ailuridae
The resting metabolic rate (RMR) of the red panda ranged from 0.204 ml/h/g to 0.406 ml/h/g (Fig 1)
There was no difference in metabolic rate between male and female red pandas
Summary
The red panda (Ailurus fulgens) (Cuvier, 1825) is called a “panda”, but molecular and chromosomal data place it in its own family, Ailuridae. It is related to weasels, otters, raccoons, kinkajous and skunks that are all members of the superfamily Musteloidea [1, 2]. The red panda has a similar diet, primarily bamboo, and shares the same habitat as the giant panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca [3]. The false thumb (carpal bone) of the red panda evolved as an adaptation to climbing and secondarily developed for item manipulation. The red panda’s adaptation for eating bamboo is a case of convergent evolution with the giant panda [4].
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