Baby panda born at National Zoo is growing, looks like Dad

Cubs’ eyes usually will open at six to eight weeks of age, the zoo said.

In this photo provided by the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, one of the giant panda cubs is examined by veterinarians after being born at Smithsonian’s National Zoo on Saturday, August 22, 2015, in Washington. The cub weighed 79.8 grams when it died. As of last week, zookeepers hadn’t completed a final pathology report for the deceased cub, but they suspect it died from “complications associated with aspiration of food material into [its] respiratory system, resulting in the development of pneumonia”, zoo spokesperson Jen Zoon explained in an email to City Desk. The cub’s mother is a female panda at the zoo named Mei Xiang. The cub weighs approximately two pounds, which means he is healthy.

The cub also has much more distinct black-and-white markings. They have further noticed that the cub has developed distinctive traits that make him a genuine Giant Panda. The giant panda is listed as endangered in the World Conservation Union’s (IUCN’s) Red List of Threatened Species. Zoo officials say the markings on his back closely resemble those of his father, Tian Tian. The cub will turn 100 days old on November. 30. This is normal for a cub his age, the zoo said. Bao Bao, the other Giant Panda cub that was born within the National Zoo was named 100 days after her birth.