The secret sex lives of pandas - Lucy Cooke

TL;DR

Breeding pandas in captivity is difficult due to challenges in determining their sex, limited ovulation window, and complex mating rituals.

Transcript

In the late 1930s, a grand panda drama unfolded at the Chicago Zoo. Su-Lin, who had been a media darling since she was a cub, passed away. Zookeepers were already in the process of procuring another female panda named Mei Mei, and they were determined to find her a mate before tragedy struck again. So when they acquired a prospective suitor named M... Read More

Key Insights

• 🐼 Determining a panda's sex accurately is challenging, as external genitalia do not appear until a few months old. This leads to mistakes in pairing pandas and delays in breeding programs.
• 🕵️‍♀️ Female pandas have a very short ovulation window, and the ability to reabsorb fetuses adds further complexity to breeding efforts in captivity.
• 💋 Pandas' complex mating rituals in the wild involve elaborate behaviors and scent marking to attract mates, which are crucial for successful reproduction.
• 🥺 Captive pandas' inability to learn mating rituals leads to difficulties in breeding, and the most reliable approach is artificial insemination.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why did the Chicago Zoo mistakenly pair male pandas Mei Mei and Mei Lan?

The zookeepers mistakenly believed Mei Mei and Mei Lan were a male-female pair, as determining a panda's sex accurately can be challenging, especially during their early months when external genitalia are not visible.

Q: How do zookeepers track panda fertility?

Zookeepers rely on measuring hormone levels in pandas' urine to track fertility. However, deciphering this data can be cryptic and messy to capture, leading to difficulties in predicting ovulation periods.

Q: How do pandas behave during mating in the wild?

Female pandas attract mates by rubbing their anal glands on tree trunks and vocalizing loudly. Males compete for attention by urinating high on tree trunks and adopt various poses, including the "squat," "legcock," and "handstand."

Q: Why are pandas unable to learn mating rituals in captivity?

In captivity, pandas are isolated from the wild and unable to witness or learn the mating rituals observed in their natural environments. Attempts to kick-start their sexual awakenings, such as showing them mating footage or using Viagra, have not been consistently successful.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The Chicago Zoo acquired male pandas Mei Mei and Mei Lan, mistakenly thinking they were a male-female pair, highlighting the challenges in determining pandas' sex accurately.

• Zookeepers face difficulties in tracking panda fertility, as females have a short ovulation window and can reabsorb fetuses even after successful impregnation.

• Pandas have complex mating rituals in the wild, but in captivity, they are unable to learn and replicate these customs.