<P> The head and body length of a red panda measures 50 to 64 cm (20 to 25 in), and its tail is 28 to 59 cm (11 to 23 in). Males weigh 3.7 to 6.2 kg (8.2 to 13.7 lb) and females 3 to 6.0 kg (6.6 to 13.2 lb). They have long, soft, reddish - brown fur on the upper parts, blackish fur on the lower parts, and a light face with tear markings and robust cranio - dental features . The light face has white badges similar to those of a raccoon, but each individual can have distinctive markings . Their roundish heads have medium - sized upright ears, black noses, and blackish eyes . Their long, bushy tails with six alternating transverse ochre rings provide balance and excellent camouflage against their habitat of moss - and lichen - covered trees . The legs are black and short with thick fur on the soles of the paws . This fur serves as thermal insulation on snow - covered or icy surfaces and conceals scent glands, which are also present on the anus . </P> <P> The red panda is specialized as a bamboo feeder with strong, curved and sharp semi-retractile claws standing inward for grasping narrow tree branches, leaves, and fruit . Like the giant panda, it has a "false thumb", which is an extension of the wrist bone . When descending a tree head - first, the red panda rotates its ankle to control its descent, one of the few climbing species to do so . </P> <P> The red panda is endemic to the temperate forests of the Himalayas, and ranges from the foothills of western Nepal to China in the east . Its easternmost limit is the Qinling Mountains of the Shaanxi Province in China . Its range includes southern Tibet, Sikkim and Assam in India, Bhutan, the northern mountains of Burma, and in south - western China, in the Hengduan Mountains of Sichuan and the Gongshan Mountains in Yunnan . It may also live in south - west Tibet and northern Arunachal Pradesh, but this has not been documented . Locations with the highest density of red pandas include an area in the Himalayas that has been proposed as having been a refuge for a variety of endemic species in the Pleistocene . The distribution range of the red panda should be considered disjunct, rather than continuous . A disjunct population inhabits the Meghalaya Plateau of north - eastern India . </P> <P> During a survey in the 1970s, signs of red pandas were found in Nepal's Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve . Their presence was confirmed in spring 2007 when four red pandas were sighted at elevations ranging from 3,220 to 3,610 m (10,560 to 11,840 ft). The species' westernmost limit is in Rara National Park located farther west of the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve . Their presence was confirmed in 2008 . </P>

Where do red pandas live in the wild
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