National Zoo's Giant Panda Might be Pregnant

By Shaun Courtney

Mei Xiang, the Smithsonian National Zoo's female giant panda, may be pregnant, zoo scientists said Friday. 

The panda's progesterone levels could either be due to a pseudopregnancy or she might give birth to a cub in 40 to 55 days, according to a news release from the zoo. 

Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated twice on March 30 after unsuccessful natural breeding with Tian Tian, the Zoo's male panda.

The zoo's panda team is monitoring her hormones and her behavior for signs of pregnancy.

According to a news release:

"Veterinarians are conducting ultrasounds regularly as Mei Xiang chooses to participate in them, to monitor changes in her reproductive tract and evaluate for evidence of a fetus. Giant panda fetuses do not start developing until the final weeks of gestation, making it difficult to definitively determine if there is a pregnancy. It may be too early to detect a fetus."

Additionally, Mei Xiang has been building a nest, which zoo officials say is typical behavior for her hormone levels.

She has given birth to two cubs, only one of which lived. Her surviving cub, Tai Shan, was born in 2005 and now lives in the Bifengxia Panda Base in China. Last fall she gave birth to a second cub that died a week later. 

You can watch Mei Xiang on the zoo's upgraded panda cams.