Panda (Ailurus fulgens), also called lesser panda, cat bear, bear cat, or red bear cat, reddish
brown, long-tailed, raccoonlike mammal, about the size of a large cat,
that is found in the mountain forests of the Himalayas and adjacent
areas of eastern Asia and subsists mainly on bamboo and other
vegetation, fruits, and insects. Once classified as a relative of the giant panda, it is now usually classified as the sole member of the family Ailuridae.
