小熊猫科（Ailuridae）,源于希腊语 αἴλουρος（ailouros,"猫"）,意指该科所有成员都是猫形动物.

Ailuridae, from Greek αἴλουρος (ailouros, “cat”), in reference to the fact that all the members of this family are cat-shaped animals.

種的俗名 Common names of members

小熊貓.

Red pandas.

分佈 Distribution 

主要在亞洲：中國, 缅甸、尼泊尔、印度和西藏.

Asia: China, Myanmar, Nepal, India and Tibet.

體型 Size

从头部到身体的长度为 51-63.5 公分,尾部为 28-48.5 公分.体重从 3.2 公斤到 15 公斤不等.

Its length from head to body measures 51–63.5 cm, while its tail measures 28–48.5 cm. Its weight ranges from 3.2 to 15 kg.

形態描述 Morphology

牠们的被毛主要为红色或橙棕色,腹部和腿部为黑色.口吻、脸颊、眉毛和内耳边缘大部分是白色的,而浓密的尾巴上有红色和水蓝色的环状花纹,尾尖呈深褐色.在有红色苔藓和白色地衣覆盖的树木的栖息地,这种颜色似乎是一种伪装.护毛较长且粗糙,而浓密的底毛较蓬松,毛发较短.背部的护毛横截面呈圆形,长 47-56 毫米.嘴、下颌和下巴周围有中等长度的胡须.爪底的毛使牠们能够在雪地上行走.牠们的头部相对较小,但在比例上比同等大小的浣熊要大,吻部缩小,耳朵呈三角形,四肢几乎等长.

Their coat is mainly red or orange-brown with a black belly and legs. The muzzle, cheeks, brows and inner ear margins are mostly white while the bushy tail has red and buff ring patterns and a dark brown tip. The colouration appears to serve as camouflage in habitat with red moss and white lichen-covered trees. The guard hairs are longer and rougher while the dense undercoat is fluffier with shorter hairs. The guard hairs on the back have a circular cross-section and are 47–56 mm long. It has moderately long whiskers around the mouth, lower jaw and chin. The hair on the soles of the paws allows the animal to walk in snow. They have a relatively small head, though proportionally larger than in similarly sized raccoons, with a reduced snout and triangular ears, and nearly evenly lengthened limbs.

生態與棲息地 Habitat & Ecology

牠们的微生境特点是在山区有大量竹茎、灌木、倒下的原木和树桩的陡坡上.

Their microhabitat is characterized by steep slopes with lots of bamboo stems, shrubs, fallen logs and stumps in mountainous regions.

食性 Diet

牠们基本上是草食性的,主要以竹子为食,主要是剛竹屬（Phyllostachys）、箭竹屬（Sinarundinaria）、筱竹屬（Thamnocalamus）和方竹屬（Chimonobambusa）的竹子.牠们也以水果、花、橡子、蛋、鸟类和小型哺乳动物为食.

They are largely herbivorous and feed primarily on bamboo, mainly the genera Phyllostachys, Sinarundinaria, Thamnocalamus and Chimonobambusa. They also feed on fruits, blossoms, acorns, eggs, birds and small mammals.

繁殖 Reproduction 

除了交配期,小熊猫都是独居的.牠们会从树上下来,在地面上交配.雌性在春末食物最丰富的时候产下幼崽.母亲会照顾幼崽约一年,而雄性则不负责任.

Red pandas are solitary except for the mating period. They will come down the trees and mate on the ground. Females give birth to the young in late spring when food is most abundant. Mothers will take care of the young for about a year while males are not responsible. 

已知的物種

Total species known

9

博物館收藏的物種

Species in the collection

1

在香港已知的物種

Species in Hong Kong

0

Reference

Glatson A. R. (2011). Red panda: biology and conservation of the first panda. Academic Press.

Wei, F., Feng, Z., Wang, Z., Hu, J. (2000). Habitat Use and Separation between the Giant Panda and the Red Panda. Journal of Mammalogy, 81(2) 448–455. https://doi.org/10.1644/1545-1542(2000)081%3C0448:HUASBT%3E2.0.CO;2.

 Zhang, Z., Wei, F., Li, M., Hu, J. (2006). Winter Microhabitat Separation between Giant and Red Pandas in Bashania faberi Bamboo Forest in Fengtongzhai Nature Reserve. Journal of Wildlife Management, 70(1), 231-235. https://doi.org/10.2193/0022-541X(2006)70[231:WMSBGA]2.0.CO;2. 

Roberts, M. S., Gittleman, J. S. (1984). Ailurus fulgens. Mammalian Species, 222, 1–8, https://doi.org/10.2307/3503840.