Autoplay Next video from Max length

Giant pandas can distinguish their mate through calls

2,722 views · Published 24 October 2018 · 0:59 · Indexed 6 October 2026

Channel: News Direct · 2018 · Education

For story suggestions or custom animation requests, contact [email protected]. Visit http://archive.nextanimationstudio.com to view News Direct's complete archive of 3D news animations.

RESTRICTIONS: Broadcast: NO USE JAPAN, NO USE TAIWAN Digital: NO USE JAPAN, NO USE TAIWAN
Pandas are able to identify one another by their calls, according to a study published in Scientific Reports.

Pandas have a more than a dozen distinct vocal sounds they make but when it is time for mating season, there is a distinct sound that both male and female giant pandas use, a husky, rapid vibrato known as a bleat.

The bleat helps to alert other pandas if there is a mate available in the area. It also contains information such as the size and identity of the panda.

Pandas have a short mating season as the female pandas only ovulate once a year and are able to conceive for only a few days in an year, according to the New York Times.

The researchers recorded the bleats of giant pandas and tested how well the sound would travel through dense bamboo thickets.

However, the researchers found that the bleat works best if a potential mate is less than 10 meters away.

The study could help conservationists trying to encourage pandas to breed as their population continues to dwindle.

RUNDOWN SHOWS:
1. Two pandas are shown at a distance
2. Male and female panda bleating
3. Bleating sound traveling through the bamboo forest
4. Potential mate for panda is shown at a distance

VOICEOVER (in English):
"According to a study published in the Scientific Reports, pandas are able to identify one another by their calls, up to 20 meters in distance."

"Pandas have a more than a dozen distinct vocal sounds, but when it is time for mating season, there is a distinct sound that both male and female giant pandas use, a husky, rapid vibrato known as the bleat."

"The researchers recorded the bleats of giant pandas and tested how well the sound would travel through dense bamboo thickets."

"Scientists found that the bleat works best if a potential mate is less than 10 meters away."

SOURCES: BBC News, Scientific Reports, New York Times,
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-45575604
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-31155-5
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/20/science/panda-bleats.html

***
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next Animation Studio’s News Direct service provides daily, high-quality, informative 3D news animations that fill in for missing footage and help viewers understand breaking news stories or in-depth features on science, technology, and health.

To subscribe to News Direct or for more info, please visit:
http://newsdirect.nextanimationstudio.com

Giant pandas can distinguish their mate through calls

More from this channel