Red Panda Coloring Page

This red panda coloring page shows the true animal, and it looks nothing like a black and white bear. A small furry climber stands on a long mossy branch and turns its face toward you. Its long ringed tail hangs down past the branch, almost to the flowers in the meadow below. Mountains and pine trees fill the view behind it.

The fur edges and face markings take some care, so it works best for ages 5 to 12. Allow 20 to 30 minutes. A younger child can still have fun with the tail, since each ring is a wide, simple band.

Getting the coat pattern right

The key to this animal is its reddish coat. Use a rusty orange or a red brown on the head and back. Then go darker on the legs and underside. The drawing gives each of those parts its own closed shape, so you can fill the belly with dark brown and the legs with black.

The face has the most going on, so look at it closely. Color the two spots above the eyes white, along with the cheek patches, the ear rims and the muzzle. Those two long shapes that run down from the eyes are tear marks. Make them dark red brown, a shade deeper than the head. The rest of the face is quite bright, so these marks are what give it that sweet, slightly sad look.

Most kids want to rush the tail, but it is the best part of the page. Fill the rings in turn, with red orange next to pale tan, and finish the tip in dark brown. Count as you go so you do not lose your place. There are twelve bands in all, and a few sit partly behind the body and the branch.

Red panda coloring page tips

• Press lightly with orange first, then add a second layer of red for a warm coat
• Follow the small fur marks with short strokes
• Leave a tiny white dot in each eye so the face looks alive
• Color the branch brown and add green moss near the top edge

Keep the sky, mountains and hill soft. Pale blue and light green will make that rusty fur glow. Pink or purple flowers suit the scene, since this animal lives in high mountain forests. Dark green pine trees give the head something strong to stand out from.

Red panda facts

The Smithsonian's National Zoo says adults weigh 8 to 17 pounds. The body is 22 to 24.6 inches long, and the tail adds another 14.6 to 18.6 inches. That tail has alternating red and buff rings. It helps the animal balance and protects it from the cold and wind.

Their ruddy coat works like camouflage in fir trees, and white faces carry reddish brown tear marks that reach from the eyes to the corner of the mouth. They live in the Himalayas and other high mountains, and bamboo makes up about 95 percent of what they eat. Even with that shared name and diet, they are not closely related to giant pandas. They are endangered, and they can climb headfirst down a tree trunk.

Compare two pandas

Print this sheet next to a giant panda page and make a simple chart with your child. Write down what is the same and what is different. Both eat bamboo and both have a special wrist bone they use like a thumb. The size, the coat and the tail are all very different.

Kids can also measure the tail on a tape. Mark 18 inches on the floor with a piece of tape, then stretch out a real arm beside it. It is a fast way to see how long that fluffy tail really is.

Find more forest friends

The giant panda coloring page makes a good partner for that chart. If your child likes bushy tails and pointy faces, the fox coloring page is another fun pick.

Questions