The Smithsonian’s National Zoo announced on Monday that the recently born giant panda at the facility turned out to be male.
Male and female panda cubs cannot be easily distinguished at birth, so veterinarians had to conduct a DNA test to determine the sex of the six-week-old cub. They took a swab from the cub’s cheek for the test during his first veterinary exam on September 19.
The Zoo gave the news through a video message shared on its website.
The cub seems healthy and strong, and both of his eyes started to open last week, according to a statement from the Zoo. He weighs 3.6 pounds and measures 14 inches from nose to tail tip. He is expected to fully open his eyes in eight weeks.
The cub is the baby of the Zoo’s 22-year-old female giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) and her male partner Tian Tian (tee-YEN tee-YEN), who recently turned 23.
A blue painting made by Tian Tian was shown by two zookeepers while they revealed the sex of the cub to giant panda keepers and fans online.
Mei Xiang is the oldest giant panda in the country and the second oldest documented in the world to give birth, according to the statement. She was artificially inseminated with frozen semen collected from Tian Tian in March. And she gave birth on August 21.
It was the first time a zoo in the United States has managed a successful pregnancy and birth via artificial insemination using only frozen semen.
Panda enthusiasts can view Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and their baby via the Giant Panda Cam on the Zoo’s website.