<P> The red panda is considered a living fossil and only distantly related to the giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ) , as it is naturally more closely related to the other members of the superfamily Musteloidea to which it belongs . The common ancestor of both pandas ( which also was an ancestor for all living bears ; pinnipeds like seals and walruses ; and members of the family Musteloidea like weasels and otters ) can be traced back to the Early Tertiary period tens of millions of years ago , with a wide distribution across Eurasia . </P>
<P> The red panda is considered a living fossil and only distantly related to the giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ) , as it is naturally more closely related to the other members of the superfamily Musteloidea to which it belongs . The common ancestor of both pandas ( which also was an ancestor for all living bears ; pinnipeds like seals and walruses ; and members of the family Musteloidea like weasels and otters ) can be traced back to the Early Tertiary period tens of millions of years ago , with a wide distribution across Eurasia . </P>
when did the red panda first appear on earth
when did the red panda first appear on earth
the Early Tertiary period tens of millions of years ago
the Early Tertiary period tens of millions of years ago