Panda question?

What animal is closely related to pandas?

Panda question?microsoft

At one time pandas were thought to be more closely related to raccoons than bears but they have been re-classified into the family ursidae (bears).

They are in a completely separate genus in the bear family because they are not closely related to any other bear... but bears are indeed now thought to be their closest relatives.

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantP...

http://www.panda-bears.org/

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2...

Panda question?norton ghost

That depends on whether you are talking about the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) or the red panda (Ailurus fulgens). It was once thought that these two species were related, which is why they share the common name 'panda', but modern genetic research shows this to be untrue.

The giant panda is actually a member of the bear family, Ursidae, though it diverged early in its evolution from other bears and is somewhat different to them, which is why it is placed in its own genus. The bear most closely related to it is thought to be the spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus). The red panda, by contrast, is a member of the raccoon family, Procyonidae, though again it is in its own genus.
Raccoons. ^_^ not bears as you would think.