Why is panda Hua Hua smaller in size?

Recently, the giant panda 'He Ye' has shown some signs of growing up. Now its weight and strength are gradually approaching that of an adult giant panda, but panda He Hua is still relatively petite. In the process of growing up, the two sisters gradually grew into different individuals.

He Hua and He Ye

Why doesn't the panda Hua Hua grow taller?

1. The issue with body shape is similar to Hua Hua's short, chubby and explosive fur, which means her body is short, neck is short, feet are short, and her fur is very fluffy, making her appear chubby and naturally beautiful. Later, when she developed cheeks, she looked silly, so she looked different from other pandas. There is no problem with the legs of the giant panda He Hua, but she is too fat and appear to have very short legs.

2. Panda Huahua's small size is due to her premature and weak birth.

Panda Hua Hua, also known as He Hua, was born on July 4, 2020, along with her twin brother He Ye, in the Moon Delivery Room of Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. She was born with a birth weight of 200g and should have been born with congenital deficiencies. However, fortunately, she was taken care of by the nursing parents at the breeding base, and we were able to see that He Hua grow up healthy.

What are the flaws of He Hua? Is Hua Hua dwarfism?

1. The issue of He Hua's legs. As early as Hua Hua's infancy, it was discovered that her right leg was abnormal. Therefore, Chengdu Panda Base staff provided her with leg massage treatment. After growing up, the legs of the panda Huahua returned to normal. Although she walked slowly and was not good at climbing trees, it did not affect Huahua's normal life, which does not mean that Huahua has dwarfism.

2. Huahua's weight: Compared to bears of the same age, Huahua, a panda, has a lighter weight. He Hua's father is the panda Meilan. The fur of the pandas in his family is much longer than that of ordinary pandas, and the long hair of Hua Hua is even stronger. The pandas in this family start to have gills around the age of one (such as Runyue), while Huahua has been plump and round since childhood. iPanda even called Huahua "the most plump (round) in history". Flowers are not heavy, and can even be said to be very light.

3. Hua Hua's god mother. Nine months after the birth mother, the panda Cheng Gong took the sisters, the panda Hua Hua and He Ye began to be raised by the godmother. The reasons explained by the Panda Base are: i. The panda Cheng Gong has insufficient milk supply. ii. The panda Cheng Gong has fallen ill. iii. The panda Cheng Gong has weaned. The sisters and Cheng Gong mom have been separated for several months. Gong Gong mom has been weaned, and mother and her kids can't be reunited again. Although He Hua and He Ye failed to talk with her mother, the two godmothers were very kind to the sisters.

Therefore, Panda He Hua is not a dwarf, but rather grows smaller due to genetics and external factors.

Back to blog

Leave a comment