Adorable Red Pandas Play in the Snow [VIDEO]

While the massive nor'easter that swept across the East Coast earlier this week forced some to remain shut inside their homes and wait out the storm, others could not be more excited about the almost-record snowfall, and took full advantage.

A cohort of adorable red pandas at the Trevor Zoo in Millbrook, N.Y. enjoyed playing in the snow on Tuesday. These endangered animals are native to cool temperate bamboo forests in China and the foothills of the Himalayas, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), so the animals rarely get snow in their native habitats.

Red pandas (Ailurus fulgens) are skillful, acrobatic animals, and these abilities are seen in the video here, as the inquisitive-looking pandas climb along and leap onto snow-covered tree branches.

And when these russet-colored, cuddly creatures aren't rolling around playfully with each other amidst the snowfall, they are seen munching on the bamboo that makes up the majority of their diet. Although, National Geographic notes that unlike their larger relatives, they have a taste for many other foods as well, such as fruit, acorns, roots and eggs.

These animals are normally shy and solitary (except when mating), but this footage shows their more outgoing and playful side.

When we picture pandas, most of us will imagine the classic black-and-white giant pandas, and not red pandas, which sport black belly and limbs, and white markings on the side of their head and above their small eyes. Red pandas are also no larger than a house cat - measuring only about 20 to 26 inches long. They are classified as a relative of the giant panda but also of the raccoon. Thus experts have opted to throw them into their own unique family - the Ailuridae. Their big, bushy, racoon-like tails add an additional 18 inches, as well as serve as a wraparound blanket the keep them warm in the chilly mountains.

Red pandas are endangered animals, victims of deforestation. Their natural habitat is shrinking as more and more forests are destroyed by logging and the spread of agriculture - less than 10,000 are left in the wild, according to the WWF.

While this is somewhat grim news, the red pandas safe in their Trevor Zoo home have nothing to worry about, simply enjoying the wonder that winter has to bring.

You can learn more about these red pandas and see what they're up to via Trevor Zoo's live footage here.

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