Resurfaced Clip of Red Panda's Reaction to a Stone Has Internet in Stitches

A showdown between a red panda and a rock is providing the comic relief that people need on the internet.

The viral video originally appeared in 2017 but has resurfaced on Reddit's "Aww" forum with 53,000 upvotes and counting. It showed a red panda running up to a stone and reacting with apparent shock, then throwing up its front paws and standing on its hind legs to tower over the enemy. After several seconds without a response, the animal strikes the rock with its claws.

The best part: red pandas stand up on their hind legs to look larger and more intimidating when they sense danger and use their claws to defend themselves against a threat. Redditors agreed that this tactic may not be working so well for the adorable animal faced with an inanimate foe.

The top comment asked: "Is that him trying to be threatening? He looks so cute!"

"I have an urge to pick him up and carry him around on my hip like a little baby," one user gushed.

"Stone is petrified," another person quipped.

Red pandas are native to mountain forests in China, Myanmar and Nepal. They primarily subsist on bamboo. Despite the name and the diet, they are not closely related to giant pandas. Humans are charmed by their kitten-like face, red fur, small stature and big bushy tail. They have been classified as the only living member of their taxonomic family, Ailuridae. Their closest living relative is the raccoon.

Red pandas are categorized as "Endangered" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. The San Diego Zoo has estimated the worldwide adult population of red pandas to be approximately 10,000, falling as much as 40 percent over the past 50 years. Some estimates have put the number of red pandas living in their native habitat at 2,500.

Deforestation, hunting and the pet trade have severely reduced the population of red pandas, which fossils have dated back as far as 5 million years on earth. But conservation efforts around the world are attempting to save the animal, with 20 protected habitats in India, 35 in China, eight in Nepal and five in Bhutan.

The Red Panda Network, a nonprofit dedicated to conserving the animal, created "International Red Panda Day" in 2010. The holiday is observed every third Sunday in September as part of a campaign to expand education about the animal and their habitats. More than 60 zoos around the world participate in related activities.