Despite sharing a common name, red pandas are not closely related to giant pandas. The red panda falls under a unique taxonomic group called Ailuridae, or the "panda family." Giant pandas are classified under a separate, distant taxonomic family of bears called Ursidae.

Red pandas feed mainly on bamboo using their opposable thumb. They also eat fruits, roots, succulent grasses, acorns, lichens, and even bird’s eggs, insects and small mammals. They are found in high-altitude forests in the Himalayas and mountainous terrain of Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar and China.

They are a mainly arboreal species, often living close to water sources and in densely bamboo covered areas. In the wild, the red panda prefers a solitary and nocturnal lifestyle. It is mainly active during the twilight period and until the early hours of the morning. During daylight hours, they can be found resting or snoozing above the ground, lying dangled or curled up on tree branches depending on the weather.

Red pandas are currently listed as endangered species by the IUCN, and their numbers are believed to be less than 10,000 individuals in the wild. However, the exact figure remains unknown. Habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation are major threats to wild red pandas. Poaching is also one of the threats to this species, as red pandas are killed for food, medicine, pet trade and their distinctive red fur. Apart from poaching, the surviving red panda populations are also vulnerable to disease, natural disasters and the effects of climate change.