Red pandas are skilled climbers, using trees for shelter, to escape predators and to sunbathe. Their ankles are extremely flexible, and they can climb straight down a tree headfirst! Their long, sharp, semi-retractable claws help them traverse tree branches easily. In contrast with other carnivores their size, red pandas haveextremely robust dentition. They also have a simple carnivore stomach, despite their predominantly leaf-based diet. Red pandas share the giant panda's pseudo-thumb, a modified wrist bone used to grasp bamboo when feeding.