Editing Red panda (section)

===Subspecies and species===
The modern red panda is the [[monotypic taxon|only recognised species]] in the genus ''Ailurus''. It is traditionally divided into two [[subspecies]]: the Himalayan red panda (''A. f. fulgens'') and the Chinese red panda (''A. f. styani''). The Himalayan subspecies has a straighter profile, a lighter coloured forehead and [[ochre]]-tipped hairs on the lower back and rump. The Chinese subspecies has a more curved forehead and sloping snout, a darker coat with a less white face and more contrast between the tail rings.<ref name="taxonomy"/>

In 2020, results of a genetic analysis of red panda samples showed that the red panda populations in the Himalayas and China were separated about 250,000 years ago. The researchers suggested that the two subspecies should be treated as distinct species. Red pandas in southeastern Tibet and northern Myanmar were found to be part of ''styani'', while those of southern Tibet were of ''fulgens'' in the strict sense.<ref name=Hu>{{Cite journal |last1=Hu|first1=Y. |last2=Thapa|first2=A. |last3=Fan |first3=H. |last4=Ma |first4=T. |last5=Wu|first5=Q. |last6=Ma|first6=S. |last7=Zhang|first7=D. |last8=Wang|first8=B. |last9=Li|first9=M. |last10=Yan|first10=L. |last11=Wei|first11=F. |name-list-style=amp |title=Genomic evidence for two phylogenetic species and long-term population bottlenecks in red pandas |year=2020 |journal=Science Advances |volume=6 |issue=9 |page=eaax5751 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.aax5751 |pmid=32133395 |pmc=7043915 |bibcode=2020SciA....6.5751H}}</ref> [[DNA sequencing]] of 132 red panda faecal samples collected in [[Northeast India]] and China also showed two distinct clusters indicating that the [[Brahmaputra River|Siang River]] constitutes the boundary between the Himalayan and Chinese red pandas.<ref name="Joshi">{{cite journal |author1=Joshi, B. D. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Dalui, S. |author3=Singh, S. K. |author4=Mukherjee, T. |author5=Chandra, K. |author6=Sharma, L. K. |author7=Thakur, M. |year=2021 |title=Siang river in Arunachal Pradesh splits Red Panda into two phylogenetic species |journal=Mammalian Biology |volume=101 |issue=1 |pages=121–124 |doi=10.1007/s42991-020-00094-y |s2cid=231811193}}</ref> They probably diverged due to [[glaciation]] events on the southern [[Tibetan Plateau]] in the [[Pleistocene]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Dalui, S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Singh, S. K. |author3= Joshi, B. D. |author4=Ghosh, A. |author5=Basu, S. |author6=Khatri, H. |author7=Sharma, L. K.|author8=Chandra, K. |author9=Thakur, M. |year=2021 |title=Geological and Pleistocene glaciations explain the demography and disjunct distribution of Red Panda (''A. fulgens'') in eastern Himalayas |journal=Scientific Reports |volume=11 |issue=1 |page=65 |doi=10.1038/s41598-020-80586-6 |pmid=33420314 |pmc=7794540 |doi-access=free}}</ref>