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Thursday, October 19, 2006
Panda gains weight
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The little stick of butter has become a bag of sugar.
That’s how Zoo Atlanta officials were characterizing the growth of their Giant Panda she-cub Thursday. Lun Lun’s 43-day-old baby now weighs about five pounds — 4.9 pounds officially — and measures 17 inches from her nose to the tip of her tail. That’s a pound heavier and about a half-inch longer than last week. When the cub was born Sept. 6, zoo officials compared her size to a stick of butter.
During the bear’s fourth physical exam Thursday, the still-nameless panda was discovered to have hair growing on her feet. “She looks to be a very healthy cub … thriving and growing as expected,” said Zoo vet Maria Crane, who leads the checkups.
Last week, officials saw the panda’s eyes open for the first time. The next growth marker is the opening of her ears. “Right now her ear flaps are still tightly adhered to her skull,” Crane said. “When we start to see the ear flaps opening then we know that she’s beginning to hear more sounds also.” That could happen as soon as next week.
The cub is expected to begin walking at four months.
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