The two pandas will stay until at least 2010, with the possibility of an undetermined extension after that date. Around 1,100 pandas remain in the wild. The panda, a native of China is mostly found in the Sichuan Province and scattered about the Gansu and Shaanxi Provinces. The giant panda is a member of the bear family, which scientists call Ursidae. Among the bears, it is most closely related to the spectacled bear of South America.
Pandas are normally solitary creatures.
Pandas vocalize extensively in social interactions. A squeal indicates submission or pain. Mei and Tian, on loan from the Chinese government, will remain at the National Zoo from 2001 until at least 2010. Pandas are usually born as twins and are about four inches long at birth. Often only the stronger of the two cubs survives.