#original panda

Caretakers quickly noticed that Khyana seemed to have an issue with her left rear leg. Further examination revealed that the little panda had been born with a deformity in the left hip, one that would only worsen with time and cause her great discomfort. The Zoo’s veterinary staff determined the best option would be amputation. Partnering with a local veterinary clinic in Oklahoma City, Khyana underwent successful surgery.

Surgeries like this are surprisingly common. In fact, Khyana isn’t the only amputee living at the OKC Zoo! Chimpanzee Siri had part of her arm amputated due to injury and has thrived, getting around as well as the other members of her troop.

Khyana already looks to be following in Siri’s footsteps. The little panda was exploring her enclosure not long after surgery, and adorable videos from the Zoo are online, showing her active and happy despite the change in her life.

Red pandas are crespecular. Now, I know that probably sounds like an insult uttered in a science fiction movie, but it’s an actual scientific term. It means an animal is most active at dawn and dusk. It’s a lifestyle that fits well with the sleep requirements of a red panda, who can spend as much as eleven hours of their day sleeping!

There are a couple of advantages to this strategy. For one, it means the red panda doesn’t have to move around during the hottest part of the day under all that fur. But it should be no surprise that the biggest advantage is defense against predators. Many prey animals hunt at night, and their eyesight is keener during the day. Twilight is the best time for red pandas to safely forage. Of course, evolution being what it is, a few of their predators have adapted to this lifestyle as well, and the cycle continues.

You can use this knowledge to your advantage during zoo trips as well! While feeding schedules can disrupt the pattern, your best bet to see red pandas active is in the morning or evening. It’s never a bad idea to make these guys your first stop on a zoo trip, as that’s often your best chance to see them moving instead of curled up on a tree.

No, it's a cunning little adaptation that scientists creatively named a pseudo thumb. It's certainly catchier than the more technical term, the radial sesamoid. When you'd looked at a red panda's paw, this modified wrist bone looks like a part of the paw pad. This added grip makes it easier for the red panda to grip and strip bamboo stocks and post for adorable photo ops.

The red panda isn't the only animal with a pseudo thumb. In fact, it's one of several adaptations shared with the giant panda. With their similar diets and distribution, along with adaptations like the pseudo thumb, early taxonomists assumed the two pandas must share a close relationship. Indeed, some scientists wanted to reclassify the red panda as the tree bear! However, DNA analysis revealed the two pandas weren't closely related. Their relationship is what's referred to as convergent evolution, or the evolution of similar features in different species. Red pandas are most closely related to the mustelids, such as ferrets, otters, and badgers, as well as raccoons.

For example, a moose believed to have lost part of a leg in a traffic accident was seen near Anchorage in 2007 nursing a calf. The same year, camera traps in Indonesia captured images of a Sumatran tiger with three legs. Animals often show remarkable resilience in the face of injury. One need look no further than the legendary Scarface, a lion in the Masai Mara who has thrived since sustaining a major injury in 2012.

One red panda adaptation will help Khyana with this change: her tail. Many amputee animals with long tails like the red panda will be able to use them to assist in balance. Having seen Khyana in action earlier this week, I’m pleased to report that she’s every bit as active as her brother. In fact, she remained outside playing and eating after her mother and brother went inside!