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Panda
newborns are tiny, weighing only 100 to 160 grams. Cubs start
eating bamboo at about one year of age, but remain with their
mother until she conceives again, usually when the cub is
about 18 months old. Infant mortality in the wild is lower
than in captivity, and is estimated at around 40%.
Giant
pandas reach sexual maturity between 4.5 and 7.5 years. After
a gestation period of about five months, females give birth
to a single young or sometimes twins. Wild giant pandas bear
a cub every two years or more.
The following
flash animation is about the born and growth of a new born
called Hua Mei in the San Diego Zoo in the United States:
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