Australian Wildlife

[Occamstazer]

Dacjohns, the Red Panda is under Ailuridae, not Ursidae. It was a fairly recent reclassification

How recent? My mammology textbook (2004) puts in in Ursidae although it acknowledges that some authorities place it in Procyonidae. It also mentions that the giant panda has been considered for its own family, Ailuropodidae.

It looks like the classification was still going on when the textbook was published. I can buy it being in its own family.

We getting off track for Australian wildlife aren't we?

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/AsiaTrail/RedPanda/factsheet.cfm

I think it happened just this past year, although I can't find a source at the moment. I *love* taxonomy, it satisfies some deep-seated need for order.

Sorry, OP, we're total threadjackers. I'm jealous of your koala visitor too, it's a much nicer intruder than the raccoons and opossums we have here! I've noticed the Australia seems to have wider range than the rest of us. By that I mean your scary stuff is scarier, and your cute stuff is cuter

 

[dacjohns]

Opossums are marsupials. Koalas are marsupials. Now we are back on track.