He Ye, previously thought to be the younger brother of the star panda twins at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, has been found to be female, the base said on Wednesday.
The star twins He Hua (L) and He Ye (R), Chengdu City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 4, 2022. /CFP
Born in 2020, He Ye and the elder sister He Hua are very popular residents of the base. He Ye exhibited traits similar to those of male pandas – urinating at a height, having a large physique and an energetic character, so the staff never questioned the gender. It was only recently when experts took biological samples from He Ye that they discovered the panda was female.
Panda He Ye at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, August 5, 2023. /CFP
The external sex organs of young giant pandas are small and cryptic, so it is difficult to determine their gender without a DNA test.