Scientists have a headache, 'Why are newborn giant pandas weighing only 100 grams'?

Did you know that an adult giant panda can weigh more than 100kg, but at birth, the baby weighs less than 100 grams, the same as a newborn cat. The disparity is so great that scientists have struggled to find answers for years.

Giant panda originated from China, adults usually weigh up to 120kg. Males are bigger than females.

The newborn panda is only as small as a newborn cat.

However, at birth, they have absolutely no outstanding weight. On average, newborn giant pandas weigh only about 100 grams, about the same as a newborn cat. Super small compared to the individual mother.

The big difference makes it difficult for scientists to find solutions. Recently, a team of scientists from Duke University in the United States has studied the panda panda skeleton to find out the answer.

In fact, compared with most other mammals, the stage of development of baby bamboo cones is born premature . Giant panda is born in the third trimester pregnancy compared to humans.

Newborn pandas weigh only about 90 to 130 grams, which is about the size of a kitten. At birth, raccoons are light pink, blind and extremely small, the ratio of the weight of the baby to the mother ranges from 1: 900.

That's the lowest birthweight of all mammals, since most mammals are close to 1:26.

In fact, all bears (the Ursidae family) have unusually small children, but giant pandas are especially pronounced. This phenomenon is usually seen only in single cells and marsupial animals, the offspring will stay in the mother's pocket, until they are stronger.

Giant panda is born.

In the 1980s, the giant pandas Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing at the Smithsonian National Zoo gave birth to five baby pandas. However, they died shortly after.

People preserved their skeletons and scientists at Duke University used for research.

Scientists have previously suggested that bear birth weight is most likely associated with hibernation. The process of pregnancy coincides with the period of hibernation, which will cause the mother to fast, which can lead to earlier birth.

Meanwhile, new research shows that bears of the same species, developing in the same trajectory as other mammalian relatives, mature their bones in the same sequence and at the same rate. , proves that cubs were born at the right time.

However, giant panda is an exception. Based on bone analysis, they are born a few weeks before the due date, about 70% of its pregnancy. That would be like a 28-week human fetus.

This may be due to transplant time. The panda's gestation period is 97 to 161 days. But embryos float in the uterus for a few months before attaching to the wall of the uterus and only begin to grow after being in this position.

"We can simply understand that they have not been cooked yet," says scientist Peishu Li .

And the deeper reason for "uncooked" still needs time for scientists to continue their research.

1. Super cute image of the world's first trigeminal panda