This beautiful 1 Oz Silver coin is the first release in the new Night Animals series and features one of Chinas most endangered species - the Red Panda. The coin has a stunning relief thanks to the Smartminting technology, has a beautiful coloration, has a Black Proof quality and comes in a case, along with the Certificate of Authenticity.
Limited mintage to 499 pieces worldwide. The reverse of the coin depicts a beautiful coloured Red Panda under the moonlight, surrounded by vegetation.
On top of the reverse, the inscription: NIGHT ANIMALS the name of the series. On the bottom, the inscriptions: THE RED PANDA the name of the coin and 2017 the year of issue. The obverse of the coin features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II under a beautiful moon, surrounded by stars and the inscriptions: ELIZABETH II the name of the Queen, COOK ISLANDS the issuing country and 5 DOLLARS the face value. Red Panda (Lesser Panda) The red panda (Ailurus fulgens), also called the lesser panda, the red bear-cat, and the red cat-bear, is a mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs; it is slightly larger than a domestic cat.It is arboreal, feeds mainly on bamboo, but also eats eggs, birds, and insects. It is a solitary animal, mainly active from dusk to dawn, and is largely sedentary during the day. The red panda has been classified as Endangered by the IUCN because its wild population is estimated at less than 10,000 mature individuals and continues to decline due to habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and inbreeding depression, although red pandas are protected by national laws in their range countries. The red panda is the only living species of the genus Ailurus and the family Ailuridae. It has been previously placed in the raccoon and bear families, but the results of phylogenetic analysis provide strong support for its taxonomic classification in its own family, Ailuridae, which is part of the superfamily Musteloidea along with the weasel, raccoon and skunk families.
It is not closely related to the giant panda, which is a basal ursid. The item "RED PANDA Night Animals 1 Oz Silver Coin 5$ Cook Islands 2017" is in sale since Friday, October 06, 2017. This item is in the category "Coins & Paper Money\Coins\ World\Australia & Oceania\Other Oceania Coins".The seller is "powercoin_italy" and is located in Roma. This item can be shipped worldwide.