It's a Girl! Scientists Confirm Gender of Giant Panda Cub Born at the National Zoo

Scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics confirmed that the Giant Panda cub born at the National Zoo is a female.

The panda was born August 23. Paternity tests showed that Tian Tian, the zoo's male Giant Panda is the father of the cub. The mother Mei Xiang had given birth to another stillborn cub on the same day. Scientists said that the dead cub was a fraternal twin.

Scientists used two tests to confirm the gender of the baby; one test was developed by researchers in China who analyzed a fragment of the "zinc finger protein gene" and the second test was developed by SCBI scientists and veterinarians and was based on the same zinc finger protein gene.

Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated twice, March 30 after unsuccessful mating attempts between her and Tian Tian. For paternity tests, scientists tested DNA samples from cubs and compared them with genotype profiles of DNA from Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and the San Diego Zoo's giant panda Gao Gao, the zoo said.

 "The genetics laboratory conducts conservation research and service for the Zoo and the entire Smithsonian, including sexing animals, determining paternity and disease testing. This was a great opportunity to assist our reproductive and panda biologist colleagues to assess their artificial insemination methods in pandas,"said Rob Fleischer, head of the Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics. "

We have been tracking the birth and progress of the Giant Panda cub born at the National Zoo. Check the live panda cam here.