In line with Chinese tradition, the cub was not named until 100 days after its birth, when survival is considered assured.
Su Lin's mother, 13-year-old Bai Yun, gave birth to her on Aug. 2 after a much-publicized pregnancy.
Bai Yun, who has been on long-term loan to the San Diego Zoo since 1996, mated with her new panda partner Gao Gao in April. Gao Gao arrived in 2003 to replace another male, Shi Shi, who managed only one cub with Bai Yun in six years.
Giant pandas are notoriously difficult to breed in captivity as they have a relatively low fertility rate, with over 60 percent of male pandas in captivity lacking sexual drive and just 10 percent being capable of natural mating. Only 30 percent of female pandas give birth.
Another giant panda cub was born at Washington's National Zoo in July and 100 days later was named Tai Shan, which means peaceful mountain.
The San Diego Zoo's panda contract with China ends in 2008, but negotiations have started to lengthen their time under the California sun. Cubs are usually returned to China at the age of three.
Name: Giant Panda (
Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
Primary Classification: Ursidae (Bears)
Location: The Sichuan, Gansu and Shanxi provinces in central China.
Habitat: Temperate bamboo forests.
Diet: Bamboo, almost exclusively.
Size: Up to 6 ft in length and 250 lbs in weight.
Description: Black fur on ears, eye patches, muzzle, legs and shoulders; white fur everywhere else; thick, woolly coat; broad, round face and flat nose; large molars; round, protruding ears; round body with short, sturdy limbs.
Cool Facts: Mothers will eat their cubs' stools to eliminate any evidence of their presence, thereby avoiding potential predators. They need to eat more than 22 lbs of bamboo per day to satisfy their daily requirement of nutrients.
Conservation Status: Endangered
Major Threat: Habitat loss and poaching.
What Can I Do?: Visit
Pandas International,
Smithsonian's National Zoo and
The Hong Kong Society for Panda Conservation for information on how you can help.
