Bird Cams Around the World

I presumed this was artificial insemination. Guess not since the paternity is in question.

Thanks carly!

An now their tails don't seem so long!

He worked quite a while to turn over...



......Light!!! (I ran out of video... )

today's report!




Curator of Mammals Rebecca Snyder, PhD, shares a behind-the-scenes look at the cubs’ next milestone – the eruption of their first baby teeth!

“It’s extremely cute when we see the cubs yawn and stretch inside the incubators. It also gives us the opportunity to look inside their mouths. We can see that their incisors are close to erupting. They are visible just beneath the surface of the gums. We noted during an exam of our first cub, Mei Lan, that his incisors were at the gum line when he was 50 days old, and his teeth were erupting at 77 days old. Giant panda cubs’ teeth usually start to erupt at around 75 days, but that can vary quite a bit. Since we examine the twins closely daily, we will be able to more closely pinpoint the day the first teeth erupt. But, It will be a long time before those teeth are ready to take on bamboo! Young cubs manipulate and taste bamboo, but giant pandas do not start to ingest a significant amount of bamboo until they are 13 to 14 months old.”


Wow, they won’t be eating bamboo for a while! But, we love watching them nurse with mom. We’re excited for Lun Lun to care for both of her cubs at that same time. Many of our subscribers have asked questions about this introduction, and we’re listening! Rebecca explains:

“ I don’t see this as an introduction, because Lun Lun has been caring for both cubs since they were born. When both cubs are able to walk well, we will put both of them in the nest box while Lun Lun is in one of the adjacent enclosures. She will come back to find two cubs instead of one. I don’t think this will result in a noticeable reaction on her part. I think her transition from caring for one cub at a time to two will be seamless. She will nurse, groom and play with both of them.”

I love the updates from all of you. Sure like that tongue sticking out on Lun Lun, so cute..

The National Zoo Panda Update



Keepers went into Mei Xiang’s den again this morning to offer her some food and drink. She drank some water sweetened with a little apple juice, which she has done for the past several days. Food still doesn’t appeal to her much, which is normal for a bear that recently gave birth. She didn’t touch the pear, sweet potato, bamboo, and water keepers offered her.
In 2005 Mei did not eat until 16 days after she gave birth to Tai Shan, but her appetite came back quickly after she ate that first little bit of bamboo. It’s not uncommon for bears in the wild to go without food for long periods after they have a cub. Although Mei isn’t showing much interest in food, keepers give her fresh bamboo leaves in her den that she can eat if she chooses. It’s hard to see them on the panda cams because they blend in with her nest.
Mei continues to be an excellent mother and she is producing milk. And one of our veterinarians that got a good look at the cub this morning said it looks, “strong, active, full and pink.”
The panda team will continue to offer Mei food and drink twice a day in her den until she feels comfortable enough to leave it for short periods of time to eat, drink, urinate and defecate.
If you catch a good glimpse of the cub on the panda cams, share it with us! You can upload your screen shots on our
#cubwatch Flickr page!

Adorable adorable! Thanks carly!

Lun Lun on the Move - cub confidential update


The nest box looks different. Where’s all the hay? Curator of Mammals Rebecca Snyder, PhD, gives us an update on changes in Lun Lun’s den:

“You may have noticed that we removed the bedding from the nest box. Our colleague from the Chengdu Research Base, Deng Tao, asked us to remove the bedding because he is concerned about the cubs ingesting it accidentally. There is a small risk that ingesting hay could be harmful to the cubs’ gastrointestinal tracts, so we decided to remove the hay. The cubs have a full, thick coat of fur now, and don’t need the bedding for warmth. Lun Lun is also perfectly comfortable resting on the floor without bedding.

Lun Lun has been moving the cubs to different dens over the last few days. These were brief excursions, and she soon returned the cub to the nest box. Lun Lun has done this with her previous cubs, but not until they were older. Giant panda mothers in the wild will move their cubs to different dens periodically. So, I think it’s normal for Lun Lun to move her cubs to different locations. I expect she will continue to move the cubs around in the coming weeks. We monitor her and the cubs closely to make sure they are comfortable and safe wherever they are.”

Thanks, Rebecca! Whether they are lying with mom or in the nest box, we know the cubs are safe and are extremely comfortable in their cuddly fur!

Goodbye, incubator! Jennifer Andrews, Keeper I, wanted to update Cub Confidential subscribers on the next step for our boys:

“When panda cubs are born, they are not able to regulate their own body temperatures, which means that they completely rely on their mom to keep them warm. Since their births, Cub A and Cub B have alternated sleeping in an incubator until it is their turn to spend time with Lun Lun. As they have grown and developed, we have been able to slowly decrease the incubator temperature from 95° F to 78° F. Now that the cubs are able to thermoregulate on their own, it is time to say goodbye to the incubator and introduce them to a new nursery space.

Last night we set up the new "box.” It is a tall, open-top box with a window on one side that allows us to easily monitor the cubs. It looks like a playpen of sorts, but it is designed specifically with panda cubs in mind, meaning that it is cub-proofed so that they can't climb out or injure themselves. It is also easy to disinfect. This will be the cubs' new nursery space until they are big enough and mobile enough to both be with Lun Lun at the same time. Until then, we will continue swapping the cubs approximately every four hours so that they each get to spend time with Lun Lun. In the coming weeks, the cubs will use their new space to practice scooting and, eventually, walking. They'll also spend plenty of time napping, of course!”


Time flies when you’re a growing panda cub! It seems like just yesterday the cubs were wrapped in blankets to keep warm. Thank you for the update, Jennifer!

So, Lun Lun got to have a night off, what great babysitters they have there at the zoo.

An update from the National Zoo in Washington

This morning, Mei Xiang was very alert when the panda keepers walked into her den and looked eager for her morning drink. She drank 64 ounces of water right away. She did turn down all offers of food (a frozen bamboo shoot and sugar cane). She seems to be enjoying her “den service!”


Baby is beginning to look like a panda!

Just saw this update on our morning news!