US National Zoo Photography

~ Red Panda ~

The red panda was formally described in 1825. The two recognised subspecies, the Himalayan and the Chinese red panda, genetically diverged about 250,000 years ago. The red panda's place on the evolutionary tree has been debated, but modern genetic evidence places it in close affinity with raccoons, weasels, and skunks. It is not closely related to the giant panda, which is a bear, though both possess elongated wrist bones or "false thumbs" used for grasping bamboo. The evolutionary lineage of the red panda (Ailuridae) stretches back around 25 to 18 million years ago, as indicated by extinct fossil relatives found in Eurasia and North America.

~ Luke ~

~ Sumatran Tiger ~

~ Cheetah ~

~ A pair of Male Lions ~

~ Male Lion ~

~ Gray Wolf ~

Crystal

Luke drawing https://instagram.com/p/BSymTHkBW-u/

Instagram post by Jon • Apr 12, 2017 at 3:38pm UTC 1 Likes, 1 Comments - Jon () on Instagram: “ ”