Wild sub-adult panda twins captured on camera for first time
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The images and footage of a pair of sub-adult giant panda twins living in the wild were captured for the first time, the Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwest China’s Sichuan province announced on Tuesday. 

Two wild pandas, about two years old and about the same size, were playing under a tree at an altitude of 3,100 meters near a bamboo forest on Niutou Mountain, based on images captured by an infrared camera in July.

Sub-adult panda refers to pandas under the age of 5 years and over the age of 2 years who have gone past the cub stage but have not yet reached adulthood. “From their skull size, the body size and the luster of their fur, we preliminarily determined that this pair of wild giant pandas as a pair of sub-adult pandas,” said Shi Xiaogang, the director of the Mujiangping protection station in the Wolong Reserve.

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"The way they interact showed they are more likely twin sub-adults," said Wang Pengyan, senior engineer at the reserve. "Both of them have long snouts, a typical appearance of young pandas. The pair is believed to have been born in the summer of 2017."

It is not a common phenomenon because most panda mothers in the wild would abandon one cub because they lack the energy to raise two cubs together.

"Wolong is rich in resources and has enough food for the mother to raise two cubs. Additionally, the mother was lucky to find a suitable nest for her family," said Wang.

In Wolong, pandas usually use tree holes to breed their cubs. A large hole is necessary for the mother to raise twins at the same time, said Wang.

The new footage shows that the protection of natural resources in Wolong is effective. It also provides valuable information for giant panda experts to further study the natural breeding habits of wild giant pandas in the Qionglai Mountains.

Duan Zhaogang, Party secretary of Wolong National Nature Reserve Administration, said Wolong will speed up the field investigation of wild giant pandas and further improve the protection of giant pandas and their habitats.

Fewer than 2,000 pandas live in the wild, mostly in the provinces of Sichuan and Shaanxi.  

(Compiled by Zhang Bingyu; with input from Xinhua)