The fire ferret has long, soft, reddish-brown fur on most of its body and dark red-brown fur on its short legs. It has a light face with tear markings and robust cranial-dental features. The light face has white badges similar to those of the red panda, but it is possible that each individual can have distinctive markings. Its roundish head has medium-sized upright ears and a black nose and its long bushy tail has alternating red transverse black rings, though the end of the tail is solid black.