Resembling a raccoon, each individual possesses unique facial hair patterns as opposed to the raccoon’s standard black eye goggles. ‘The Cat Bear’ (as they were originally named) gives itself a tongue bath each morning, similar to a feline. Chinese newlyweds wear their hides as Davy Crockett-style caps for ‘good luck’ when concluding their wedding ceremony.
Throughout Southern China, their habitat is clear-cut, eliminating vital bamboo forests which comprise the bulk of their diet. Supposedly, the web browser Mozilla Firefox was inspired by the Red Panda. And though unconfirmed, rumor has it these cousins of the Giant Panda gave birth to George Lucas’ ‘Ewoks’ in the film “Return Of The Jedi”.
What is it about the edge of extinction that makes a species so damned adorable?
