Brave red panda cub becomes a star

An adorable red panda cub in Japan has shown his mettle by standing up to a rock.

The panda, who lives at Himeji Central Park, reared up ninja-style against a rock in its enclosure.

The standoff got caught on camera and has made the cute cub a social media star.

After the surprise, the panda realises the rock is not about to attack.

The red panda is classified as endangered by the International Union For The Conservation Of Nature. The numbers in the wild are estimated at just 10 000.