Not to scare anyone but it looks like the eastern United States was once home to a stable population of the red panda. Pristinailurus bristoli was a subspecies of the modern day red panda that was found in Tennessee has a nearly complete skeleton.

M

http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/new-red-panda/

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M

I wonder if having an incomplete skeleton contributed to their demise?

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Brad Salmon, zone 5b/6 Southern Indiana
Winters -20 to -25C. Summers 30 to 35C , humid. 115 cm annual precipitation, frost free from May through early October. 259.3 meters elevation. Growing 150+ species. http://www.needmorebamboo.com/

Indeed

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M

I may be able to swing past the site on the way down to Savannah.

I wonder if they fed on rivercane.

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Southern Indiana. Theoretically the same climate as 'needmore' & 'Eastlandia'.
My Bamboo List.

"Take Dog apart. Disinfect. Reassemble."

A few pictures from our visit to the Gray Fossil Site:







Hopefully these link correctly.

According to the guide they think the Red Panda fed on Rivercane. Everytime the guide mentioned rivercane she would append an explanation that it was the native bamboo of North America.

The bamboo used in the display was a Phyllostachys species.

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Southern Indiana. Theoretically the same climate as 'needmore' & 'Eastlandia'.
My Bamboo List.

"Take Dog apart. Disinfect. Reassemble."

those look like oak leaves in that last photo- the uhaul one

I know. I have no idea why they decided to show the red panda munching on oak leaves.

If you look at the picture of the skeleton in the case you will see Phyllostachys canes in the background. You would have thought they would use Rivercane.

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Southern Indiana. Theoretically the same climate as 'needmore' & 'Eastlandia'.
My Bamboo List.

"Take Dog apart. Disinfect. Reassemble."

It is a fact that the red panda eats mostly bamboo. The reason being, like the giant panda, the red panda cannot digest cellulose, so it must consume a large amount of bamboo to survive.