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

Later, driving the red panda back to his exhibit space at the front of the zoo, Dr. Alex Becket, an associate veterinarian, reported that Hoppy seemed to be recovering well from the anesthesia. — Karen Weintraub, New York Times, "Doctor, Your Patient Is Waiting. It’s a Red Panda.," 29 June 2018 Encounters with red pandas are sold out at the Houston Zoo, but are available with the zoo’s naked mole rat, which has large buck teeth. — Clare Ansberry, WSJ, "Sloths Hot, Armadillos Not: Zoos Seek Affection for Overlooked Species," 29 Mar. 2018 There’s nothing but cuteness from a video that shows a mama and baby red panda that made their debut this week at the National Zoo. — Dana Hedgpeth, Washington Post, "Mama and baby red panda make debut at National Zoo," 26 Jan. 2018 The Akron Zoo will spotlight issues about red panda conservation at its Hope For The Wild event on Wednesday night. — Anne Nickoloff, cleveland.com, "9 things to do in Akron, Summit County the week of May 7-13," 7 May 2018 There's a lemur that looks like a cross between a teddy bear and red panda and hops between trees like a kangaroo. — Sarah Bowman, Indianapolis Star, "Russ Mittermeier discovers 18 new species and travels to more than 170 countries," 8 June 2018 The twins, both female, weighed 5 ounces and were born blind, which is usual for red pandas. — Agueda Pacheco-flores, The Seattle Times, "Woodland Park Zoo offers early peek at newborn red pandas," 26 June 2018 Two red pandas at the Woodland Park Zoo became parents last week with the birth of twin cubs. — Agueda Pacheco-flores, The Seattle Times, "Woodland Park Zoo offers early peek at newborn red pandas," 26 June 2018 Hoppy, the male red panda who is now 3 years old, taught Dr. Ebina different lessons. — Karen Weintraub, New York Times, "Doctor, Your Patient Is Waiting. It’s a Red Panda.," 29 June 2018

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.