Despite its name, the red panda is not closely related to the giant panda. This small reddish-brown mammal with its special face markings belongs to its very own family: the Ailuridae. It is perfectly suited to the cold of mountain forests, with thick fur and waxy pads on its paws that let it walk on ice. It climbs down trees head first thanks to ankles that can turn. More than 95% of what it eats is bamboo, but it also eats eggs, birds and small mammals. Its numbers have fallen by 40% in 50 years, and fewer than 10,000 are thought to live in the wild.