Pagi (on top) and Palu at home up high.
Our feisty sun bear twins Palu and Pagi turned 10 months old on August 25. They have come a long way from their squawking, demanding, den-dwelling days. Now I very rarely hear any vocalizations from the cubs, and they demand little of their mother’s time and attention compared to their early days (see post,
Sun Bears: Have It Your Way).
Pagi looks up...
They remain largely unmotivated by supplemental food, as they still acquire many of their calories via maternal milk. Though nursing is rarely seen, the cubs’ behavior, coupled with Marcella’s obviously distended mammaries, indicate this is still a primary feeding method for the youngsters. Occasionally, I do see Marcella push a cub away when it tries to suckle, usually at a time when she is most interested in searching for her breakfast in the exhibit.
...and down!
When they are not sleeping, the cubs routinely engage in vigorous bouts of social play with each other. Palu, who is about 4 kilograms (8.8 pounds) larger than his sister, can be very physical in these play bouts. He tackles Pagi and paws at her wildly. Despite her smaller size, Pagi seems to set the tone for their play, often terminating the bouts when they get too rough. She loves to initiate bouts of “chase and flee” as she runs from her brother.
Palu takes the upper hand.
It will be interesting to look at the data we have collected thus far and see what behavioral differences there are between young males and females. Our dataset currently includes two males and two females, two twins and two singletons. We know there are some differences in maternal behavior when comparing male cubs to female cubs in giant pandas, but such differences have yet to be explored in the sun bear.
Palu and Pagi are on exhibit every afternoon. Come enjoy them, along with Marcella, while they still retain their youthful exuberance!
Suzanne Hall is a senior research technician for the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research
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August 31st, 2009 at 11:50 am
Thanks, Suzanne, for another exciting update about the growing Sun Bear cubs. It will be very interesting to compare the data from males and females, and singletons versus twin cubs. So much for researchers to thrive on!
It sounds like Marcella is enjoying having twins, as they can play with each other, and leave her to eat so she has the rich milk they both have to share. It takes more nutrition for the mother to produce that rich milk, and if she had to be chasing after two cubs it would be very difficult to eat enough to do that.
Thanks to all the staff who continue to take such outstanding care of these young bears.
August 31st, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Will they be separated at a certain age? is SDZ planning to send them to another zoo? I love the pics by the way..I don’t know about sun bears..do they live alone in the wild? ok enuff with the questions!
Suzanne responds: Although some zoos in Europe have allowed female cubs to remain with their mothers for several years, even after reintroducing the pair to the adult male to allow a resumption of breeding, this has not been tried with a male cub. Our cubs will wean from their mother at approximately 18 months. Whether or not they will remain here has not yet been addressed, but our two previous cubs have found new homes at zoos in Texas and California.
As to wild living conditions…we don’t know the answer for sure. We suspect females are typically found only with their offspring outside of breeding encounters, but we can’t yet say for sure. Much work to be done on that front!
September 2nd, 2009 at 10:17 am
Thanks Suzanne, these two are awfully cute..double trouble