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Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mei_Xiang
what is a Pseudo pregnancy?
what is a Pseudo pregnancy?
Pseudo Pregnancy: a common physiological phenomenon where a female panda experiences the same hormonal and behavioral changes as a real pregnancy, even if she did not conceive. Some signs include elevated progesterone, nesting, reduced appetite or denning behavior, etc.
There may be “lost pregnancies” (pregnancy that begins but ends before birth), which adds further uncertainty.
Case StudIEs: QING BAO & MEI Xiang
Case StudIEs: QING BAO & MEI Xiang
(1) Earlier this Spring, Qing Bao experienced her first estrus cycle; however, she was not put with Bao Li because breeding before the age of five is not recommended, as they still have maturing to do. Now that Qing Bao is past breeding season, she will experience a pseudopregnancy where she will go through the same hormonal and behavioral changes that a pregnant panda would go through.
(2) Mei Xiang was a previously loaned panda that also experienced pseudo-pregnancy. She was artificially inseminated in 2018; afterwards, her hormone levels rose and her behavior indicated pregnancy or pseudopregnancy, but ultrasounds failed to confirm a fetus. Ultimately, she was determined not to be pregnant that year.
Image source: https://www.idausa.org/news/smithsonian-national-zoo-giant-pandas-china/
how The Smithsonian IS helping pandas With Reproduction
how The Smithsonian IS helping pandas With Reproduction
Scientists have worked to unravel mysteries related to panda behavior, nutritional needs, reproductive habits, and genetic diversity
Scientists send urine samples to endocrinologists to analyze and look for changes in estrogen and progesterone levels
Scientists carefully look at changes in behavior and make sure to accommodate living spaces to ensure comfortability for pandas going through pseudopregnancy/pregnancy
The Smithsonian's effort to understand reproduction has increased pregnancy success
The development of artificial insemination techniques have allowed for genetic diversity and has been successful in the museum resulting in the births of Tai Shan, Bao Bao, Bei Bei, and Xiao Qi Ji
Hormonal Changes
Hormonal Changes
Image source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-49288-6
Remaining Mysteries:
Remaining Mysteries:
Why does pseudo-pregnancy occur so frequently in captive giant pandas, and what exact biological mechanisms trigger it?
Even though researchers know that hormonal patterns in pseudo-pregnant and pregnant pandas look almost identical, it’s still unclear what actually initiates the false pregnancy, why some pandas experience it repeatedly, and whether factors like stress, environment, or human management practices play a stronger role than currently understood. This uncertainty also affects the loaning/breeding programs previously mentioned, because pseudo-pregnancy makes it incredibly difficult to determine whether a panda is truly pregnant, which leads to misallocated resources, disrupted timelines, and inconsistent data across institutions.
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