Who doesn't love pandas? A tiny panda from China named Peanut melted the hearts of millions of viewers after a video of her taking her first few steps was shared on YouTube by People's Daily Online.
In the video, a happy Chinese song plays while the four-month-old cub moves around at the Shanghai Wild Animal Park. There were moments where her mother Guo Guo would scoop her up and show her how to walk. At one point, Peanut even attempted to climb a window sill, but she tumbled and fell to the ground.
Peanut is actually the first panda to be born in Shanghai. Her mother Guo Guo, who is 20 years old, gave birth to her on July 9. Her name, which reads "Hua Sheng" in Chinese, was chosen in September after the park conducted a poll with over 50,000 participants, according to the Daily Mail.
The park people explained that they chose the name "Hua Sheng" because it really fits what they hope for Guo Guo and her growing family. The name means "to take root, to grow and to breed."
Cao Liang, the deputy director of the Shanghai Wild Animal Park, said Peanut weighed 151 grams (5.3 grams) and measured 14.3 centimetres (5.6 inches) in length when she was born. When she was finally introduced to the public, she weighed 7,000 grams (15.4 pounds).
Pandas are usually born in August, because the panda's mating months are from March to May, while gestation takes place three to five months, according to China Highlights. Breeding is actually not one of the panda's priorities, because the fluffy animal is more concerned about eating and sleeping.
Interestingly, not all pandas are black and white. A few of them are actually brown and white, but these are very rare. Moreover, the oldest panda in the world is Jiajia from Hong Kong's Ocean Park. When she turned 37 in 2015 (about 110 in human years), the park treated her to a special birthday "cake" made out of fruity ice from the Guinness World Records.
