Two Chinese Red Pandas Play In the Snow At The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

Two gorgeous Chinese red pandas happily play with one another in the snow at The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. According to Thane Maynard, the Zoo’s Executive Director, red pandas absolutely thrive in cold weather.

Now winter time at the Cincinnati Zoo, conjures up ideas like polar bears or penguins, but we have all sorts of animals who love cold weather, including the Chinese red panda. Now red pandas look like big red raccoons, but they are actually cousins of the giant panda. They come from the some of same bamboo forests, in fact bamboo is a large part of their diet. They are arboreal, nocturnal and they are extremely good in the cold weather.

images via The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden