The Red Panda

Located in China and Nepal, the red panda. or Shining Cat, inhabits tree tops.  The red panda was originally placed in the raccoon and bear families, but has recently been moved into it's own family, Ailuridae. 

     Looking like a raccoon and a panda bear, this animal feeds mainly on bamboo, but will also eat birds, mushrooms, eggs, and other plant material.  Being related to the giant panda, the red panda has a modified, wrist bone for grasping and pulling bamboo and climbing down trees.  Also, like the panda, they cannot digest cellulose so must consume alot of plant material.

The Aardwolf

The aardwolf or Proteles Cristata is not related to the aardvark but to the hyena.  It's name comes from the Dutch/Afrikaan words for "Earth" and "Wolf".  Aardwolves are small compared to their relatives, weighing in at 50-60 pounds and standing only 15-20 inches at the shoulder.    
     This animal is an insectivore, meaning that it's main source of food is insects (mostly termites).  This fact distinguishes it from its brethren who are mainly carnivore's.  The aardwolf's tongue is long and sticky enabling it to catch termites from their mounds.  The aardwolves inhabit the scrub land and plains of Southern and Western Africa.  This is the only habitat in which it can thrive because the plains are where to termite mounds are located.