If you were unaware of how pandas give birth, you may be surprised by watching this video.
Giant panda cubs are born incredibly small and underdeveloped , even compared to other bears. For example, newborn polar bears weigh 1/400 the size of their mother, but baby pandas weigh only about 100 grams at birth; the little ones are very soft and pink and are incredibly dependent. Their eyes begin to open about 40 days after they are born and it is when they are about 50 days old that their eyes finally open wide; they finally begin to see the world around them 70-90 days after birth.
Why are baby panda bears so tiny?
At just 16 centimeters long and blind, it is shocking how such a large animal can give birth to such a helpless young. Her pregnancy is very short, it lasts only 5 months (although the time can vary up to 324 days).
A study by Duke University (USA) on this topic found that the bones of newborn pandas are immature compared to other mammals , which is equivalent to “a human fetus of 28 weeks”, according to the co-author of the study, Peishu Li. “They’re basically undercooked,” the authors joked.
This video is not current, but from 2017, but it has gone viral these days with the need for more good news or at least to make us smile. Courtesy of Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding and Research Base in southwest China’s Sichuan Province.
