High in the mountain forests of the Himalayas, Red Pandas spend much of their lives among the branches, and Adelaide Zoo residents Ravi and Maiya are no different.
With thick fur, flexible ankles and a specialised “pseudo-thumb” for grasping bamboo, Red Pandas are remarkably well adapted to life in the trees.
Here at Adelaide Zoo, visitors can meet two individuals: 11-year-old male Ravi and nine-year-old female Maiya.
Getting to know Ravi and Maiya
Maiya was born at Taronga Zoo and later lived at Perth Zoo before making the move to Adelaide.
She can be recognised by her darker nose and the white fur surrounding her face. Visitors will often find her resting high in her tree or inside her nest box.
Maiya also takes part enthusiastically in training sessions with her keepers and is particularly motivated by one favourite food: pear.
Ravi, meanwhile, has a darker coat and head and a particularly thick, fluffy tail. He can often be found curled up in one of the tunnels throughout his habitat.
Red Pandas are naturally solitary animals, so Ravi and Maiya live separately at Adelaide Zoo. Ravi can be found in the habitat closest to Giant Panda Yi Lan, while Maiya lives in the neighbouring space with a tall climbing tree.
Built for life in the trees
Red Pandas are exceptional climbers and spend much of their lives above the ground.
One of their most impressive adaptations is their highly flexible ankles, which can rotate around 180 degrees. This allows them to move head-first down tree trunks as well as climb vertically upwards.
Even the soles of their paws are covered in fur, helping provide insulation in the cold mountain environments of their natural range.
Their long, bushy tails provide another layer of protection from the cold. When resting in cooler conditions, Red Pandas can curl their tails around their bodies to help retain warmth.
Bamboo makes up much of a Red Panda’s diet. To help grasp stems and pull branches towards their mouths, they have an enlarged wrist bone known as a pseudo-thumb.
Despite sharing both a name and a taste for bamboo with Giant Pandas, the two species are not close relatives.
Helping protect Red Pandas
Red Pandas are found across parts of the Himalayas and surrounding mountain regions of Asia.
According to the IUCN Red List, the species is classified as Endangered, with populations continuing to decline. Habitat loss and degradation are among the major pressures facing Red Pandas in the wild.
Zoos SA supports the Red Panda Network, an organisation working with local communities to protect Red Pandas and their forest habitat across their natural range.
By meeting Ravi and Maiya at Adelaide Zoo, visitors can learn more about the specialised adaptations of this threatened species and the conservation work helping protect Red Pandas in the wild.
Visitors can also get even closer to Ravi through Adelaide Zoo’s Red Panda animal experience, which includes the opportunity to meet and feed him.
Visit the Adelaide Zoo website to find out more and plan your visit.
