The beautiful Red Panda on display at the Smithonian National Zoo in Washington D.C.

Canon EOS 550D. Canon EF 70-300mmIS lens @ 300mm.

Red pandas, which resemble raccoons, are about 42 inches long, including a long, bushy tail. They weigh between seven and 14 pounds. Their red-and-white markings blend in with the red mosses and white lichens that grow on the trees in which they live. Their soft, dense fur covers their entire body—even the soles of their feet. Red Pandas use their long, bushy tails to balance when they’re in trees. They also cover themselves with their tails in winter. They live in the cool temperate bamboo forests in Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces in China, in the Himalayas, and in Myanmar. They share part of their range with giant pandas. They primarily eat bamboo leaves as well as berries, blossoms, bird eggs, and various plants’ small leaves. (National Zoo Fact Sheet.)