Pandapoly

Jinzhu 2, Scientists 0

On August 6, Jinzhu, 11, gave birth to twins at the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center.  So what, you say...if you're really paying attention, you know that there already have been 14 giant panda cubs born this year in captivity.  But if you're a panda fanatic, you know this birth was pretty remarkable.  In case you're not quite in the fanatic league yet, the reason why this twin birth was so special is because that Jinzhu is, if we're being politically correct and using the appropriate terminology, what would be known as a transgender panda. 

Yep, that's right, they used to think Jinzhu was a boy.  As a young cub, they thought Jinzhu had male characteristics.  Or in scientistspeak, "Jinzhu was believed to be male owing to her inconspicuous secondary sex characteristic and behavior."  (Wei Rongping , assistant director of the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center.)   Sounds like Jinzhu was a bit of a tomboy.

Then several years later, when Jinzhu was of the appropriate mating age, they found a pretty young female panda in Japan that they thought Jinzhu should meet.  But Jinzhu showed none of the rutting behavior that can annoy the female pandas around them when it's not during the 48 hours a year that a female panda can successfully mate.   We don't know if they engaged in "girl talk" instead, but whatever was happening, it wasn't likely to result in a cub.  So the pretty young thing in Japan got a new boyfriend, and Jinzhu went home to China to figure out what was wrong. 

Scientists who examined Jinzhu to prepare for artificial insemination then got a big surprise.   Whoever decided Jinzhu was a boy back in the day was wrong -- Jinzhu had no penis.  It's not clear whether Jinzhu at birth was a hermaphrodite panda, showing both male and female sex characteristics, or whether the initial classification was simply incorrect.  The mixup is not as surprising when you consider that an adult male panda's penis is only 1.2 inches (3 centimeters) long.  [Hold your obvious remarks, please.]

But regardless of the reason for the mistake, Jinzhu was female, and had ovaries, but they were in the wrong place for her to conceive.  So after a two-hour surgery to make it possible for her to conceive, she was ready for her 48 hours of glory. 

Earlier this year in March, she successfully mated with a male panda.  (Finally, they gave me a boyfriend like the other girls have, she says.  I was worried I was going to be an old maid!)  And now Jinzhu is the busy mother of twins.  Be careful what you wish for, Jinzhu...