Land Mammals, features and articles | Educational Science

Aug 26, 2013

Newborn National Zoo Panda Cub Is Healthy, Had a Stillborn Twin

The giant panda cub born Friday (Aug. 23) at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., received its first checkup and appears to be healthy, zoo workers said. But keepers also discovered over the weekend that the cub had a stillborn twin. The live newborn, which weighed about 4.8 ounces...

Sep 5, 2013

It's a Girl! National Zoo Panda Cub's Sex Announced

The panda cub born last month at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., is female, zoo staff announced Thursday (Sept. 5). Through genetic testing, Smithsonian scientists confirmed the sex of the cub, born on Aug. 23 to panda mom Mei Xiang. A paternity test also revealed that the baby...

Sep 11, 2013

Experts Put Together Panda Plan

Dozens of giant panda experts are meeting at the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland this week to hammer out a plan outlining how best to care for and study the world's rarest bears. Rob Ogden, head of conservation science at the zoo, told LiveScience that the point of the three-day symposium...

Oct 15, 2013

Panda Miscarries at Edinburgh Zoo

The giant panda, Tian Tian, seems to have miscarried after weeks of showing signs of being in late-term pregnancy, Edinburgh Zoo officials said today (Oct. 15). We are all saddened by this turn of events after so many weeks of waiting, Chris West, CEO for the Royal Zoological Society of...

Oct 17, 2013

Post-Shutdown Panda Cam Fix Stymied: Fans Overwhelm Site

The Smithsonian National Zoo's panda cam began operating again this morning, but that doesn't mean you'll get to watch Mei Xiang's 8-week-old cub stretch and wriggle about. The panda cam went live at 10:36 this morning I believe, said Devin Murphy, communications officer at the zoo in Washington, D.C. Within...

Oct 21, 2013

Giant Pandas More Resilient to Change than Other Endangered Animals

The giant panda's immune system is fairly diverse, genetically speaking, suggesting the endangered species may be more resilient to environmental change than previously thought, scientists say. Biologists estimate that only about 1,500 giant pandas live in the wild today, confined to six isolated mountain ranges in south-central China. Panda fossil...

Oct 23, 2013

100 Days! Twin Panda Cubs Get Names

The twin giant panda cubs born at Zoo Atlanta in July have reached their 100-day mark today (Oct. 23), and they now have names: Mei Lun (may loon) and Mei Huan (may hwaan), which originate from a Chinese idiom that translates to something indescribably beautiful and magnificent. Public voting began...

Oct 23, 2013

Twins! Pictures of Zoo Atlanta's Baby Pandas

Cute Cubs (Image credit: Zoo Atlanta)These adorable panda cubs were born at Zoo Atlanta on July 15. Twin Panda Cubs (Image credit: Zoo Atlanta)Twin panda cub brothers snuggle up at Zoo Atlanta, and now they have names: Mei Lun (may loon) and Mei Huan (may hwaan). Cub Checkup (Image credit:...

Nov 6, 2013

Votes Wanted to Name Baby Panda

It's almost time to name the newborn giant panda at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and keepers want the public to weigh in on five possible monikers, including Bao Bao and Mulan. All pandas in U.S. zoos belong to China — the only place in the world where...

Nov 20, 2013

Poll to Name National Zoo Panda Cub Closes Friday

There are just a few days left to cast a vote to name the newest giant panda cub at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Panda mom Mei Xiang gave birth to the female cub on Aug. 23, but in keeping with Chinese tradition, the baby bear will not...

Dec 1, 2013

National Zoo's Panda Cub Named Bao Bao

The newest giant panda cub at the Smithsonian's National Zoo was named Bao Bao on Sunday (Dec. 1) in a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Panda mom Mei Xiang gave birth to the female cub on Aug. 23, but in keeping with Chinese tradition, the baby bear was not named until...

Jan 14, 2014

National Zoo's Panda Bao Bao Readies for Big Debut

The nearly 5-month-old giant panda cub Bao Bao at the Smithsonian's National Zoo will make her public debut in a few days. Those with a Friends of the National Zoo membership have exclusive access to the panda habitat in Washington, D.C., this week, but the general public will finally get...

Jan 19, 2014

Panda Cub Bao Bao Makes Public Debut at National Zoo

Visitors to the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., can finally get a glimpse of the panda cub Bao Bao. The baby bear made her public debut on Saturday (Jan. 18). Panda fans started gathering before dawn in anticipation of seeing the 5-month-old bear, who slept through much of her...

Feb 28, 2014

Pandas' Latest Threat: Horses?

The 1,600 pandas left living in the wild face a new threat: Horses. Seeking a safe investment, farmers in China's Sichuan Province have been increasingly buying up horses and allowing them to graze in the protected panda habitat of Wolong National Nature Reserve, new research finds. These horses clean out...

Mar 21, 2014

Belly Up to the Bamboo Buffet: Pandas vs. Horses

This Behind the Scenes article was provided to Live Science in partnership with the National Science Foundation. 2014 is the year of Year of the Horse in China. But pandas, it turns out, aren't celebrating. Why not? Because livestock, particularly horses, have been identified as a significant threat to panda...