Posts tagged "pandas"

Still bummed about yesterday's news that Ming Ming, the world's oldest giant panda, is dead? Yeah, us too. But the universe taketh away, and the universe giveth. Maybe.

Scientists at the National Zoo in D.C. are saying that there's reason to believe that their panda, Mei Xiang, might be--might be--pregnant following artificial insemination in January, according to the Associated Press. Yesterday the zoo announced that Mei Xiang's hormone levels are on the rise, which could indicate a pregnancy. It's difficult to tell for sure because giant panda fetuses don't develop until the end of the gestation period... one of several reasons why getting giant pandas to mate and save their own species from extinction is such a confounding process. Another reason is that false pregnancies are not uncommon with giant pandas. Mei Xiang herself has fooled us before. On the other hand, she's also successfully given birth before, to Tai Shan in 2005.

Zoo scientists will continue to monitor Mei Xiang with ultrasounds. If she is pregnant, the baby is due in July. Keep your fingers crossed. May we have another giant panda in the world, and may it live as long as the late Ming Ming.

Sad news for animal lovers today as Ming Ming, the world's oldest giant panda, has died at the age of 34. Ming Ming died on May 7, but the Chinese state media reported the news only just today, according to Agence France. The cause of death was kidney failure due to old age.

Ming Ming died at the Xiangjiang Wild Animal World, where she had been living since 1998. Before that, she traveled to zoos all over the world, including London and Ireland, according to the New York Daily News.

While the death of any one of these highly endangered animals is tragic, there is some comfort in knowing that Ming Ming's 34 years far outpaced those of most giant pandas, who to live for about 15 years in the wild, 22 in captivity.

When it comes to cuteness, certain looks always work. Shyness is one. Its cousins, embarrassment and bashfulness, are also almost always cute. There's something about a cute little animal, peeking it big eyes out from under a shamed brow, that just makes us go "awwww."

But this baby panda is taking the opposite approach. He's so wee, his eyes probably newly opened, but he's ready to greet that world with open arms. "O hai, everybody!" He wants to shake our paws, ask us our names, know our favorite colors. We bet he already has a Facebook page. He's so unashamedly gregarious with his in-your-face friendliness that he's easily our favorite animal's featured last week at Daily Squee.

Rounding up our favorite animal stories, photos, and videos on the Web each week!

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  Dwarf Lemur Comeback

  A species once thought extinct has recently been found alive and well. What will come back next? The world could use some M.C. Hammer. [via Scientific American]

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  Panda Whoopee? Whoopee!

  Two pandas in Vienna had some alone time recently, and now scientists are eager for cubs. May be linked with keeping pandas in most romantic city on Earth. [via Google]

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  Lego Love

  An artist has created life-sized sculptures of endangered species made entirely of Legos. More rare than those species? An adult who plays with Legos. [via Tree Hugger]

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  Cat Hardball

  Some Web sites report up-to-the-minute news stories. Others have cats interviewing cats. Guess which one we prefer? Here, Urlesque, interviews the most famous cats on the Internet. [via Urlesque]

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  Goat Cheese Speakeasies

  Alaska is cracking down on home-made goat-cheese operations. Not by the hairs of their chinny-chin-chins, the farmers say. [via AP]

Baby pandas are sweet, and sleepy pandas are adorable. But a video of a group of roly, poly pandas trying to go the wrong way on a slide? It's almost more cuteness than we know how to deal with. Can you handle it?