Panda in the snow (photo)

When snow dusts the Washington, D.C. area, the National Zoo’s giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) relish a romp outside. Native to the high-altitude forests in the mountains of central China, these bears sport a thick, wooly coat which keeps them warm in wintry weather. Some scientists speculate that their black and white pattern helps these bears camouflage into their snowy and rocky surroundings. To keep its pandas cool year-round, the National Zoo provides fruitcicles—water-based popsicles diluted with cut up chunks of fresh fruit. The Giant Panda Cooperative Research and Breeding Agreement extends the Zoo’s giant panda program through December 2015.