The Smithsonian’s National Zoo announced that its beloved giant baby panda was turning 11 weeks old on Friday.
“It’s hard to believe our giant panda cub will be 11 weeks old tomorrow!” wrote Laurie Thompson, assistant curator of giant pandas at the National Zoo, in a statement.
The cub’s mother Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) has been spending more time outside lately eating in the morning and early afternoon while her baby rests in their den, according to the zoo.
Keepers were able to quickly check the growing cub’s weight and measurements, while Mei Xiang was outside on Wednesday. The zoo released a video of the procedure.
“Throughout the exam, our cub was mostly quiet and sleepy. As keeper Marty Dearie measured the cub, he lifted up his head. He barked at the sound of our laughter, then promptly fell asleep,” said the statement.
Having gained around a pound since last week, he weighed 8.4 pounds (3.84 kilograms). And he measured 20.4 inches long (52 centimeters) from the tip of his nose to the base of his tail.
The zoo announced in October that the cub started taking “field trips” with his mom into their indoor habitat, when he was eight weeks old.
Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated in March 2020 by a team of reproductive scientists, veterinarians and panda keepers at the National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, after she entered her breeding season.
Mei Xiang gave birth to her baby at the National Zoo on August 21, 2020.