The red panda, also known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China.
The Red Panda has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzzle and a ringed tail.
Red Pandas are not actually bears.
However the Red Panda is in the family of bears but is more of a racoon than they are a bear.
Although Red Pandas are not even Raccoons the Red Panda is in the Racoon Family.
Red Pandas can swim.
In fact Red Pandas are excellent swimmers and are good at escaping when in captivity.
The red panda loves to climb, can swim and can easily escape.
A red panda is called a red panda because of it's similarity in looks to other pandas.
The other reason red pandas are called red pandas is because of their color although the red panda is more of an orange color than red the red panda gets it's name because of the color of it's fur.
The red pandas name is also because of the similarities the two species shared, like eating bamboo.
Red Pandas were first described in the year of 1825 as being members of the raccoon family, because they have similar skulls, teeth and ringed tails.
Red Pandas are also called Ailurus fulgens which means red shining cat.
So if you see a red panda you also see a Ailurus fulgens.
The real name for the red panda is indeed Ailurus fulgens but it's easier to say red panda and easier to remember them as red pandas as well.