Is a panda a bear or not?
That depends which panda you mean. The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a bear – it is classified as belonging to the bear family, Ursidae. However, the red or lesser panda (Ailurus fulgens) is not a bear. Depending on who you speak to, it is classified either as a member of the raccoon family, Procyonidae, or as the sole member of its own family, Ailuridae. Opinion varies on how to classify the red panda, but it is not closely related to the giant panda, though this was once thought to be the case, hence the shared common name.
