Panda Updates – Monday, December 13

When giant pandas have twins they are fraternal twins, not identical twins. It is similar to a dog or a cat having a litter. They have the same birthday, but have different individual characteristics.

So how do we tell the panda girls apart? A quick way to tell Xi Lun from Ya Lun is to look at her eye patches. Xi Lun’s right eye patch has a dramatic drop downward at the top, and both of her patches swoop out at the end. Also, her snout has a line all the way across it, whereas Ya Lun’s has more of a dot rather than a line.

(photo: Trish J.)

Happy identifying!

Trish J.
Keeper I, Mammals