Red Panda: Not a Bear Red Panda: Is it a Bear? The red panda, also known as the lesser panda, is a fascinating and unique mammal that is often confused with its distant relative, the giant panda. While the giant panda is a bear, the red panda is not. In fact, the red panda belongs to a separate family of mammals known as the Ailuridae family, which is distinct from both the bear family and the raccoon family.