A cherished, fan-favorite red panda at the San Francisco Zoo died of a parasitic infection, the zoo announced Thursday .

As National Geographic writes, "The red panda has given scientists taxonomic fits. It has been classified as a relative of the giant panda, and also of the raccoon, with which it shares a ringed tail.

Of course, I could just use the customization tools in The Sims 4 to paint the raccoon to look like a red panda and be done with it, but that's cheating. I will do this with genetics.

Some claim red pandas are actually fancy mustelids—a family that includes weasels, badgers, wolverines, martens and polecats—and that both panda varieties have a streak of raccoon in there ...

Kora, the 2-year-old red panda, was found Thursday evening, according to The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. The zoo had announced on Wednesday that the diminutive, raccoon-like creature had gone missing.

Sunny, a 19-month-old red panda, was discovered missing from the Virginia Zoo on Jan. 24, 2017. It’s assumed she escaped from her habitat sometime the night before.

Is This Animal Related To A Panda Or A Raccoon? You can find out at The Greensboro Science Center. To stream WFMY News 2 on your phone, you need the WFMY News 2 app.