During the summer when the bamboo is at its most lush, panda cubs are born.

 

In the wild, panda cubs are raised by their mothers alone after birth. A few days before giving birth, the mother panda will look for a good place to build a nest. They like to build their dens in the hollow stumps of evergreen trees, in dense bamboo forests, or in large cracks in rocks. These dens are often built close to food and water sources and need to be large enough so that the mother can fit inside with her cub so they can stay warm and dry. To make the nest more comfortable, panda mothers also use branches, leaves and even small trees to decorate their nests.

 

In captivity, panda cubs are carefully placed in warm and comfortable incubators by their keepers after birth. At birth, panda cubs are pink and tender with sparse white fur. At this point, they have not yet developed teeth and cannot crawl. After one to two weeks, patches of their fur with start to darken and in about a month, their fur begins to take on the appearance of adult giant pandas.

 

Now, let's take a look at the new born panda cubs! Can you describe their cute appearance in a word or two?