BALTIMORE (WBFF) — The Maryland Zoo’s newest red panda officially has a name.
Zoo officials announced Thursday that the female red panda, introduced to the public on June 12, has been named Ember following a public naming contest.
According to the zoo, the winning name was inspired by the animal’s distinctive reddish coloring.
Ember joins fellow red panda Aurora in the zoo’s newly opened habitat in the Main Valley. Visitors can find Ember in the enclosure on the right side.
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The habitat was designed specifically for the two red pandas and includes climbing structures, a waterfall and pool, as well as custom-built logs equipped with air conditioning to help keep the cold-climate animals comfortable during Maryland’s hot summer months.
Red pandas belong to the taxonomic family Ailuridae.
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While they are not genetically part of either the bear or panda family, the Maryland Zoo notes they were the first species to be called “pandas”—receiving the name roughly 50 years before the black-and-white giant panda.
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