Interactions

Red pandas participate in many interactions with other organisms. First, they are predators to small birds, insects, and grubs. Also, they serve as prey for snow leopards and clouded leopards. Similarly, red panda cubs serve as prey for birds, such as owls and hawks. Red pandas do not have very many predators because they spend the majority of their time resting in trees and are usually out of a predator's reach.

Unfortunately, people are the red pandas' biggest enemy. Red pandas were once hunted for their fur; their skins were used to make caps and rugs, while their tails were used to make brushes. Although poaching no longer plays a huge role in the disappearance of the red panda, red pandas are occasionally shot or caught in traps set up for other animals. Red pandas are most threatened by human degradation, destruction, and fragmentation of their habitats. Humans destroy the red pandas' habitat for a number of reasons including commercial logging, clearing for habitation and farming, and grazing of livestock. With increased destruction of their habitat, red pandas are forced into smaller living spaces. Not only is their movement limited to a smaller range, but they are also at risk for increased chances of inbreeding and a loss of genetic variance in their offspring.

Below: Red pandas are usually seen alone. Encounters between red pandas are not very common, except during mating season.

Courtesy of Fort Wayne's Children's Zoo

Red pandas also have various interactions with each other. Generally, red pandas keep their distance from one another; however, they may occasionally come in contact and communicate with each other by using certain calls. Two of their most common calls are a "quack-snort", which is a response to a surprise or a threat, and a "wah" call. The "wah" call is a loud contact call and sounds like a child's cry. This call is typically used between a mother panda and her cubs. In addition to calls, red pandas have various postures that reveal their emotions. For instance, red pandas show aggression toward other red pandas through visual displays such as the perking of their ears and the raising of their head. Likewise, red pandas will show submission to other pandas by the flattening of their ears and the lowering of their head.