Zoo Atlanta's Giant Panda Expecting Twins

ATLANTA, GA — Zoo Atlanta's giant panda, Lun Lun, is expecting twins.

The zoo confirmed the pregnancy late last week, but on Tuesday, the zoo released the image of an ultrasound that reveals the presence of a second fetus.

A 24-hour birthwatch began on Monday.

If successful, the cubs would be the first giant panda born in captivity in the U.S. this year.

• See also: Zoo Atlanta's Giant Panda is Expecting; Cub Would Be Lun Lun's Sixth

Lun Lun was artificially inseminated on March 28, 2016.

Lun Lun, who turns 19 on Thursday, August 25, is the mother of the only pair of giant panda twins in the U.S., 3-year-olds Mei Lun and Mei Huan. While giant pandas give birth to twins approximately 50 percent of the time, wild giant panda mothers will typically care for only one cub.

The new cubs would be the sixth and seventh for Lun Lun and 18-year-old male Yang Yang. The pair’s first, second and third offspring, Mei Lan, Xi Lan and Po, now reside at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China. Their fourth and fifth, 3-year-old females Mei Lun and Mei Huan, reside at Zoo Atlanta and are the only twin giant pandas in the U.S.

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• Watch Giant Panda Romp in Snow at National Zoo

Image Zoo Atlanta