CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR UPSC IAS

National Panda Day is celebrated annually on 16 March to save the species (only 1,864 Panda remaining in the wild).

• Pandas are unique bears that are native to China and are easily identifiable by their white face and black eyes and body. There are two sub-species of

Panda-Giant Panda (Ailuridae)

• The giant panda belongs to the Ursidae family (Bears)
• The giant panda inhabits the six major mountain ranges in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces of China.
• IUCN Status: Vulnerable

Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens)

• The red panda belongs to its own taxonomically unique Family: Ailuridae.
• Nearly 50 percent of the red panda's habitat is in the Eastern Himalayas, including Nepal, Tibet, India, Bhutan, and Myanmar.
• IUCN Status: Endangered
• Convergent evolution: The giant panda and the red panda do however share some of the same characteristics and a common ancestor. This is called “convergent evolution”.