A baby panda mimics its mother. That’s how it learns to live on its own.


First Days T e baby panda needs a lot of care. It’s fragile


and helpless. T e panda mother holds him close. She keeps him warm. T at’s important. Without thick fur, the cub gets cold easily. For weeks, the pair stay in the den. T e cub


grows fur. Black fur grows around his eyes, and on his ears, arms, and legs. He opens his eyes. Soon it’s time to leave the den and explore. T e cub is still too young to crawl very far


on his own. His mother uses her teeth to carry him. She gently grabs him by the back of his neck. For now, this is how they travel. When the mother panda stops to eat, she gently holds her cub in one paw. She shovels bamboo into her mouth with her other paw. T e cub watches her. He bats bamboo leaves


with his paws. He pretends to chew on bamboo stems. It’s just a game for now. But the cub is learning how to find bamboo and eat it. He’ll need those skills soon.


20 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXTREME EXPLORER


Stepping Out Months go by. T e panda cub is almost a year


old now. He’s as big as his mother. He eats about the same amount of bamboo as she does. He’s becoming more like an adult in other


ways, too. He oſt en wanders away from his mother to explore the forest all by himself. Sometimes, he stays alone in the forest at night, too. He’s learning how to live on his own. Like other giant pandas, the cub walks on


four paws. His head hangs down, so his face is low to the ground. He walks slowly on his short legs, ducking low branches. T e cub’s mother has taught him very well.


Before long, the cub finds a small clearing in the thick forest. He sees what he’s been looking for. It’s a new patch of bamboo. A mule deer is grazing on shrubs nearby.


T e panda and the deer ignore each other. T e panda sits and pulls up a stalk of bamboo. He peels the bark and begins to chew.


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