Coat of Many Colors
Posted at 10:14 am March 6, 2006 by Suzanne Hall
San Diego was fortunate to have a bit of rain last week. Rain has an impact on animal behavior, and many of you noticed it on the Panda Cam. The youngest panda responded with an increase in activity level that resulted in some interesting changes in her appearance. Su Lin morphed from a little black-and-white bundle into a dark mass of panda energy crawling around her enclosure.
The panda’s coat is a blend of black and white fur that mirrors the pattern of pigmentation on their skin. When an infant panda is born, it is nearly naked, allowing us to see the pink skin all over its body. After a week or so the pigmentation in the skin comes in, and the infant develops black ears, a black saddle, and black eye patches. Once the fur grows in, the black skin is covered by black coat, while pink skin is covered by white coat.
The panda fur is coarse and thick, and has little odor under normal circumstances. However, if the coat gets wet it can have a bit of a musty smell. The fur can also take on other odors depending on what the bear has been doing. Sometimes the bears will scent anoint with objects the keepers dust with spices or cologne, or they might rub pine boughs on their coat, perfuming themselves with interesting scents which seem to linger in their fur. One of my favorite things is when the bears have been exploring nutmeg left by the keepers, as every time they walk by the scent reminds me of pumpkin pie!
Su Lin got pretty dirty in that rain, but it took only a day or so for her to appear mostly black-and-white again. We don’t bathe our pandas, and their coat condition is the product of their own grooming practices (except for Su Lin, who is groomed by her mother). If you dig your fingers into a panda pelt, you’ll notice a bit of an oily feeling, which probably helps the bears to slough off dirt and debris after a time without bathing. Bai Yun (pictured above), our ” Teflon bear,” never seems to be too dirty, and her white is always quite bright.
As we roll into spring, we can anticipate more regular showers. For the pandas, these showers mean an opportunity to get really dirty. Keep one eye on the weather forecast and another on the Panda Cam, and you may be rewarded with some interesting sights!
Suzanne Hall is the panda research technician for the San Diego Zoo’s Office of Giant Panda Conservation.
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March 6th, 2006 at 10:41 am
It was so much fun to see the effect of last Tuesday’s (Feb. 28) rain on our baby bear! All of her joys are brand new and so much fun to experience by way of the panda cam. She was one muddy little bear. When I first saw her I thought that a hedgehog had somehow wandered into the enclosure. A moment later I realized that it was Su! She has such a joy of life that goes beyond the first-time experiences of babyhood. Combine that joy of life with a sense of humor that you just know she has, and we are in for some interesting times for the next few years!
March 6th, 2006 at 10:54 am
About Bai’s oily coat, that is very interesting because I know pets who take flaxseed oil usually have softer, healthy looking fur. Isn’t Bai’s diet low fat? She eats bamboo, leafeater biscuits and fruit, I think… she can’t be getting a lot of fat/oil in her food.
I know when humans have such a restricted diet, their skin can get dry. Sounds like this isn’t a problem for pandas.
March 6th, 2006 at 11:01 am
Thanks, Suzanne, for the update. Su Lin looked so cute getting dirty and apparently she surely enjoyed it. What a great site to see!
March 6th, 2006 at 11:11 am
Yes, that day’s shenanagins were quite interesting to watch. Our litte princess was all black and having a ball, it looked like. Many of us cam watchers were oogling at Prince Tai at that moment, but someone clued us in (on the blog we frequent together) and we all hopped over to the SDZ cam to join in the fun. What a hoot! Love all ‘our’ pandas! I’ve made quite a few new friends because of them.
March 6th, 2006 at 11:53 am
Suzanne, thank you for the explanation. It was so much fun watching Su Lin enjoy her mud bath! Is it by trial and error to find a scent they enjoy? How do you chose the cologne? It is all very interesting! I will definitely keep up with the San Diego weather report (I live in San Jose) so that I can catch Su Lin playing in the rain.
March 6th, 2006 at 2:54 pm
I was also one of the lucky ones who saw the live action of Su Lin on her blackball day. I’ve seldom seen her have so much fun. And neither have I when watching the activity.
March 6th, 2006 at 3:46 pm
Ellie #5,
The cologne, along with any other new enrichment item, must first be approved by vets to ensure the safety of the bears. In San Diego, we selected one type of cologne that is inexpensive and easy to get. The biggest behavioral responses seem to come from very strong smelling things like peppermint or nutmeg and from natural items like pine shavings. I even had a bear in Wolong demolish a 4×4 inch block that had been doused with rubbing alcohol. He really got into it!
March 6th, 2006 at 9:15 pm
Suzanne, any chance of an update in the photo section of Su Lin? The last pic is from late December, and I don’t get to see her much since she spends so much time in the trees. And I do actually have to go to work occasionally. Do you have more pics of the Mud Day adventures of Su and Bai? The ones posted on the update are absolutely adorable.
Thanks for all the updates.
March 7th, 2006 at 9:25 am
That’s fascinating information, Suzanne, thank you so much! Are there any scents that the pandas might encounter in their natural habitat that are being reproduced? I’m assuming there isn’t much rubbing alcohol in the forests of China.
Thanks again!
March 7th, 2006 at 10:41 am
I could never have predicted a year ago that I would be so enamored of two baby pandas. I want to thank you and your colleagues, Suzanne, for allowing us to share in the joys of the birth of life and the hope for the future. Every day I sit in wonder for whatever time I can spare and enjoy the pastimes of Su and Tai.
March 7th, 2006 at 1:08 pm
Anniekins #9,
We do give the bears pine boughs and pine shavings, and different soils (like the one mentioned in the keepers’ blog about Su Lin and the mud). At times, they also elicit quite a response. Burlap sometimes works too, as when new it has kind of an earthy smell.