Giant pandas can differentiate through cries

Scientists have studied the giant panda's cry - and that's not good news for animals looking for a mate.

According to research, pandas can recognize each other from their sheep-like beeps from distances of up to 20m.

But they can only predict the gender of a potential mate if they are less than 10m apart.

In contrast, animals that live in open deserts, like African elephants, can communicate with each other from a distance of 1 km.

The researchers recorded the giant panda's cries, then studied how far the sounds traveled in dense bamboo bushes.

They found that in the environment of ordinary bamboo forests, this symbolic animal can recognize each other's gender and identity, but only in short distances.

Benjamin Charlton of San Diego Zoo's Conservation Research Institute said: 'Our findings indicate that most audio communication actually takes place at very short distances (10-20m) when already locate your partner '.

Triplets at a zoo in southern Guangdong Province, China.

The findings, published in Scientific Reports, may help clarify the breeding habits of giant pandas.

This study will also help conservationists estimate population levels by recording the sound activities generated during the breeding season.

Mating and reproduction can be complex things with giant pandas. This symbolic animal lives a predominantly lonely life, and encounters are quite rare in addition to the short breeding season.

Scent can reveal information such as size, gender, identity and hormone status. But pandas also have a particularly important list of sounds throughout the breeding season.

The giant panda listed on the list could be threatened with extinction, with less than 2,000 individuals thought to exist in the wild. Artificial fertilization is used in the zoo, where animals are often reluctant to reproduce.