Description:- red panda is the State Animal of Sikkim. State:- Sikkim
Post Office: Gangtok H.O, Pin Code: 737101
The red panda is a small arboreal mammal
found in the forests of India. The red panda (Ailurus fulgens), also
known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native
to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown
fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzzle, and a
ringed tail. Its head-to-body length is 51–63.5 cm with a
28–48.5 cm tail, and it weighs
between 3.2 and 15 kg. It is well adapted to climbing due to its flexible
joints and curved semi-retractile claws. The red panda was first formally described in 1825. The two currently
recognized subspecies, the Himalayan and the Chinese red panda, genetically diverged about 250,000 years
ago. The red panda's place on the evolutionary
tree has been debated, but modern genetic evidence places it in
close affinity with raccoons, weasels, and skunks.
It is not closely related to the giant panda,
which is a bear,
though both possess elongated wrist bones or "false thumbs" used for
grasping bamboo. In India, it is found in Sikkim, western Arunachal Pradesh, the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, and parts of Meghalaya. It is also the state animal of
Sikkim.
Description:-Khangchendzonga National Park, State:-Sikkim
Office: Gangtok H.O., Pin Code: 737 101
Release Date: 2-April-2026
Khangchendzonga National Park is a national park and part of the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve in Sikkim, India. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in July 2016, becoming the first "Mixed Heritage" site of India. It was included in the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. The park is named after the mountain Kangchenjunga, which is the third-highest peak in the world at 8,586 m tall. The total area of the park is 1,784 km² (689 sq mi).