Oct

Panda cub continues to thrive

The National Zoo’s giant panda cub is measured at her veterinary exam Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013 while she sleeps. (Photo by Abby Wood)

The giant panda cub at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo continues to thrive, weighing in at 6.73 pounds (3.06 kilograms) at her veterinary exam on Oct. 23, when she received her first vaccine. Veterinarians reported that the cub is very healthy, and despite receiving a vaccine she rested comfortably through much of the exam. She is 16.5 inches (42 centimeters) around her belly and 19.29 inches (49 centimeters) long.

The cub has started crawling and can often be seen testing her new motor skills in the den on the panda cams. Visitors to the Zoo may see the cub’s mother, Mei Xiang outside in the mornings around 8 a.m. She has been leaving the den and the cub for increasingly longer periods to go outside and to eat.

Visitors can see the cub’s father, Tian Tian in his outdoor habitat and on the panda cams. The Zoo will provide updates on Mei Xiang and the cub via Facebook, Twitter and the Giant Panda Update e-newsletter.

UPDATE: The panda cam even made the Conan O’Brien show…sort of.