red panda

noun

Definition of red panda

: a small, largely arboreal mammal (Ailurus fulgens of the family Ailuridae) that resembles the American raccoon, that is found from the Himalayas to China, and that has long rusty or chestnut fur with dark underparts, a long bushy tail with rings, and a white face and inner ears with a dark stripe from the corners of the eyes to the lower jaw

— called also lesser panda

Note: The red panda feeds mostly on bamboo, roots, grass, leaves, fruit, acorns, eggs, insects, and small animals (such as birds). It was formerly considered a relative of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) but is now considered more closely related to the raccoons, skunks, and weasels.

Examples of red panda in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Frustrated with her thankless office job, the 25-year-old red panda copes with her daily struggles by belting out heavy metal karaoke after work. — Jacob Siegal, BGR, 18 Dec. 2021 Retsuko the red panda clearly fits the bill, and the first three seasons each have 100% ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. — Jacob Siegal, BGR, 18 Dec. 2021 The third-eldest red panda in North America, Ta-Shi, drew her last breath on Friday, the Detroit Zoo announced. — Minnah Arshad, Detroit Free Press, 7 Dec. 2021 The 72-acre zoo is the place to be for a red panda, tiger, or zebra sighting right in the middle of the city. — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 26 Nov. 2021 Other upcoming films from Pixar include Turning Red, the story of a young girl who uncontrollably turns into a giant red panda. — Nick Reilly, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2021 On Monday, the zoo announced the name and gender of the red panda cub born earlier this summer. — Emily Deletter, The Enquirer, 20 Sep. 2021 The zoo held a poll on its website to help name the red panda, and Shemni was the winning choice. — Emily Deletter, The Enquirer, 20 Sep. 2021 Specifically, Gingrich and the panda, for those who remember when Rusty, a red panda at the National Zoo, escaped his enclosure in 2013, going on a jaunt through D.C. for hours. — BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'red panda.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.