Panda Habitat

When we talk about a panda, we most often refer to Giant panda - a bear species native to China. However, there also exists another animal species which shares the name 'panda' with the Giant panda species - the Red panda. One of the basic fact on pandas that you need to take into consideration is that they are not related to each other. The two animals belong to totally different families, with no connection whatsoever.

Giant Panda

Giant panda, also referred to as the Giant panda bears, is a bear species endemic to the central-western and south western regions of China. This species is typically characterized by the large black patches over its eyes, ears and body. Even though the Giant panda is a carnivorous species, 99 percent of its diet consists of bamboo grass. The habitat of this species spans across the mountain provinces of central China. In these mountainous regions, they are found at the elevations of around 3,000 meters. In winter, however, they tend to descend and come down to an altitude of around 800 meters. The natural habitat of Giant panda is typically characterized by bamboo species on which this animal tends to feed.

Geographical Distribution of Giant Panda Population
While a large part of the Giant panda population is concentrated to the Sichuan province in southwestern China, provinces such as Shaanxi and Gansu in northwestern China also have a significant share when it comes to Giant panda population distribution. Basically, there are two subspecies of Giant panda - the Ailuropoda melanoleuca and Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis. While the former is typically black and white in color, the later is brown and white. Among the two, the Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis, aka the Qinling panda is endemic to the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi province.

Red Panda

Neither is the Red panda species related to Giant panda, nor does it belong to the bear family. Basically, a Red panda is the only species belonging to the Ailurus family of mammals. This animal is typically characterized by its reddish-brown fur and a bushy tail. The Red panda is native to the temperate forests of the Himalayan mountain range in Asia. These creatures are most often found at an elevation of 2,200 - 4,800 meters. There exist two subspecies of Red panda - the Western Red panda and the Styan's Red panda. The Styan's Red panda is relatively larger and sports a dark-colored coat as compared to its Western counterpart. The Brahmaputra river acts as a geographical border between the habitat of the two Red panda species. The highly adaptable nature of this species ensures that they are found in captivity in various countries of the world.

Geographical Distribution of Red Panda Population
The Himalayan mountain range, which is home to the Red panda species, is a long chain of mountains in central Asia. To a significant extent, the Red panda population is restricted to Nepal and China. Other Asian countries such as India, Myanmar and Bhutan are also home to this species, but the concentration is pretty low as compared to Nepal and China. The Western Red panda species is predominantly found in Nepal and India, while the Styan's Red panda is found in southern China and northern Myanmar.

That covered the natural habitat as well as geographical range of the Giant panda and the Red panda species. While the Red panda has been declared vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Giant panda has been declared endangered. Even though both these species are not related to each other, the various factors which have been contributing to the decline in their numbers are by far the same. The driving factor, when it comes to habitat destruction, is the large-scale clearance of land for farming and logging. As in the case of several other animal species even Giant panda and Red panda species are subjected to human interference in their natural habitat.