If you’re struggling to spot the difference between the Smithsonian National Zoo’s two new giant pandas, you’re not alone.
“They’re really hard to tell apart,” Stephanie Brinley, the zoo’s deputy director, said. “Bao Li is a little bit bigger than Qing Bao; but unless they’re right next to each other, it’s hard to tell.”
The pandas, who made their public debut Friday morning, will remain separated until their (very short) breeding window opens — which likely won’t be for another few years.
So how can visitors and Panda Cam watchers tell them apart?
Bryan Amaral, a senior curator at the zoo, said Qing Bao, the female, is easier to spot — thanks to some spots.
“I don’t know if it’s a permanent birthmark or not,” Amaral said. “But if you look at Qing Bao, on her rear left leg, she has a little birthmark above where the black stops and the white begins.”
Qing Bao also has wider, puffier cheeks and a thinner “saddle” on her back.
Zoo officials say the main thing that sets the pandas apart is actually their behavior.
“Our male is a little bit more gregarious and outgoing,” said Michael Brown-Palsgrove, Asia Trail curator. “He is really in tune with what the keepers are doing, sort of waiting for that next meal. He loves his bamboo.”
Qing Bao is less likely to be sprinting around the exhibit.
“She’s a little bit more cautious, but incredibly curious,” Brinley said. “She loves to play with toys, and she loves to climb trees, so you’ll often see her up in a tree.”
“She’s very confident, though,” Brown-Palsgrove added.
Tickets to the National Zoo are free. From now through Feb. 9, the zoo is celebrating the pandas’ return with events, including a screening of “Kung Fu Panda” in the Visitor Center Theater.
For those who can’t visit in person, the Giant Panda Cam relaunched on Friday.
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