India home to both species of red panda, says ZSI study

They are small bamboo eating mammals found in high mountain forests of China, India, Nepal and Myanmar.
Though it is considered an indicator species for ecological change, the red panda is a shy, solitary and arboreal animal. It primarily feeds on bamboo and avoids human presence.
Red pandas share the giant panda’s pseudo-thumb, a modified wrist bone used to grasp bamboo when feeding.
Their forest homes are being cut down, and poachers hunt them for their fur. And their adorableness might put them in more danger, since they are ideal targets for the illegal pet trade.

Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have concluded that India is home to both the subspecies of Red Panda— Himalayan red panda (Ailurus fulgens) and the Chinese red panda (Ailurus styani) and the Siang river in Arunachal Pradesh splits the red panda into these two phylogenetic species.
The red panda was considered a monotypic species till 2020 until the scientists studied its genetic make-up with respect to the geographical distribution and described the occurrence of the two species. The species diverged from each other about 0.30 million years ago.
Himayalan red panda is found in West Bengal, Sikkim and central and western Arunachal Pradesh and South Tibet, located in the west of the Siang river.
Chinese red panda is majorly located in the east of the Siang river including the Dibang valley of eastern Arunachal Pradesh and southwest China.
Scientists at ZSI are studying further to map the potential corridor supporting the movement of the red panda across the eastern Himalayas.
Scientists are also trying to extend the scope of the research and replicate studies in collaboration with other range countries like Bhutan, Nepal and China. The results will help in proposing long term monitoring and conservation.

Today Current Affairs Upsc Exam Syllabus & Previous Yearpaper.