Giant panda twins
It is never expected news when an animal gives birth, especially if it is a member of an endangered species. Every each birth is a glimmer of hope for an endangered species.
So when a giant panda mother recently gave birth to two adorable newborn twins, it was heralded as a significant accomplishment for the species’ conservation efforts.
The twins, a boy and a girl, were reportedly born on Tuesday at the Qinling Panda Research Center in Shaanxi Province, China. The facility’s goal is to preserve the panda population by breeding them in captivity.
Qin Qin, the mother, became pregnant through artificial insemination; the identity of the father is still unknown. The second twin born to Qin Qin, who was also born in 2020, is this one.
Because they are so young, pink, and blind, newborn giant pandas are difficult to identify. Pandas are among the smallest infants when compared to their mothers, weighing only 1/900 of their mother’s weight, according to National Geographic.
But the pandas are under their mother’s safekeeping, and it is said that they are doing well. They will eventually mature and turn into the recognizable black and white creatures that we all love and know.
Due to their brief reproductive period—a female panda has just 36 hours each year to become pregnant—giant pandas have a very low fertility rate.
Giant panda breeding in captivity is thus a crucial and difficult endeavor.
