Red pandas are one of the animals that can hunt their prey at night easily. In fact, they prefer hunting during the night rather than during the day. Does this mean they can see in the dark?
Quick answer – Yes, red pandas can see in the dark.
Just like other nocturnal animals, they have excellent night vision.
These fox bears use more than half of their day (up to 17 hours) to sleep on tree branches and eat bamboo.
At night, when their predators are sleeping or find it difficult to see them, red pandas will come down from the tree and go hunting for prey.
You can now tell that red pandas see in the dark, would you like to know how far they can see?
Let’s continue reading.
How Far Can Red Pandas See
The farthest the red panda can see is about 5 feet from where they are.
Generally, red pandas are born myopic. This means they are nearsighted.
The red pandas’ have good sight and their eyes have pupils with narrow openings just like other nocturnal animals.
But this does not mean they can see very far. They have restricted color vision, as such they use their sense organs to mostly predict their environment.
How Do Red Pandas See In The Dark?
Red pandas use their excellent night vision, great sense of smell, and exceptional hearing ability to walk easier around in the dark.
They also have a number of white long whiskers on their snouts. This helps them to find their way when they walk around their habitat in the dark.
For example, red pandas use their olfactory (sense of smell) to hunt their prey, run from predators and communicate with each other.
Can Red Pandas See Better During The Day Or Night?
Red pandas see better in the day just like other animals do.
This is mainly because the amount of light that passes through their eyes is more during the day. Hence, they can see things better.
Their face is white with somewhat red marks which stretch from their eyes to the sides of their mouth. These marks help keep so much sun out of their eyes.
However, because they are nocturnal animals, night times are the perfect time to hunt their prey.
They do it freely and safely without fears of being hunted by snow tigers, martens, and ultimately man which almost made them go extinct.
RECOMMENDED READING: ARE RED PANDAS DIURNAL OR NOCTURNAL?
Final Thoughts
To conclude, red pandas can see in the dark. However, they have a short sight due to their biological makeup. But their sharp sense of smell and hearing makes them more aware of their surroundings at night.
And just like humans, they can also see better during the day than at night.
Now that you’ve understood the red panda’s vision at night, would you like to know how they camouflage when they see their predators?
Go through our article ‘’Do Red Pandas Camouflage?’’ to find out more.
