Jezebel
Winter is almost here (two days, folks!) and your toes are cold. What about the critters? An article in today's Washington Post explains about how zoo animals deal with cold temperatures. Most beasts adopt the same measures in captivity that they do in the wild: Some grow thicker and longer coats — or like deer, grow a different color coat that does a better job of retaining body heat. And it's easy to tell when the pandas are ready for winter: Their shit changes color. Cute (and unrelated) panda video from Japan above, and more Post stuff about panda poop after the jump.
How do zookeepers know that the giant pandas are getting ready for winter? Their poop turns yellow! In the summer it's green, thanks to a diet of bamboo leaves and bark. But in the winter the pandas munch the inside of the grassy treat. That part, called culm, is loaded with carbohydrates and gives Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and Tai Shan extra energy to help them keep warm.Meanwhile, elephants like to play in the snow, according to one of the directors at DC's National Zoo: "[They] will make snowballs; they'll go down on their sides and rub their heads in it." Funny! (You know what else is hilarious? Imagining a dog as a temp.)
Baby Twin Panda [YouTube]
How's The Weather Out There? [Washington Post]
50 Animals With Day Jobs [Best Week Ever]
Earlier: Kim Cattrall Reverses Position On Killing Animals
Comments
omg they're so cute I just wanna smash my face in them
Panda Porn!
obsessed. i love it when he tries to swat him with his little paw paw and they tumble into the corner!
@ElBlablazo: Haha my first thoughts!!
And parents... its all fun in games until one bites the others penis off. Mommy! Mommy! Its bleeding!
Haha oh god, I can see it now.
I'll be the freak scaling the enclosure wall, screaming "LOVE HEAP!" just before I throw myself into a warm fuzzy pile of playful panda love.
After the fun, we'll examine their poo together, compliment each other on our artistic tendencies in the excretory medium (not to mention our weather savy), and have blueberry green tea.
Then naptime. Do pandas drink? If so, what's their favorite tipple? I'll bring a bottle along.
I'm in <3.
Yay pandas!
This makes me wanna get drunk and tell people I love them.
On another note, this reminds me of one of my fave videos. Cracks me UP! [youtube.com]
We're all big fans of Panda Cam at my work.
How can you not just fucking LOVE pandas?!?! So, so cute!
@bowlingfordollars: Awesome. I watched it twice.
you have to be completely cold-hearted not to love the pandazzz. I could watch them wrestle all day.
I love me this blog: [blog.so-net.ne.jp]
The pandas at the National Zoo (Home of Butterstick!) love frozen apple juice treats!
pandas are the answer to the world's problems.
there should be mandatory daily viewings of pandactivities all over the world.
i've always been proud of the fact that i was born on the winter solstice and therefore, my birthday is the darkest day of the year.
pandaaaaaaaaaaaaas.
Do you know how you can tell I'm ready for winter? I stop shaving my legs. It keeps me decent on the first date, since I'm not about to drop trou with furry legs, and the legs have no other chance of being seen in decent company. I love winter!
i had my leg hair lasered off. It was totally worth the $1500.
Where's braak? DON'T THEY LOOK DELICIOUS?
Those two are paralyzingly cute. Between that and Juno, my uterus is probably going to take me to court.
Everybody likes pandas!
how come when me and my little brother play fight noone says how cute we are?
@katastic: Nothing is more delicious than pandas.
My favorite thing about pandas is how amazingly adorable they are, and then, every once in a while, a japanese kid wanders to close to the panda cage and gets mauled.
@braak: Good morning, Jezebeau! Are we the only fools up this early?
Am I the only one who loves that this headline completes the rhyme from the previous post's header? I have a new favorite poem.
@I_Heart_VH1: There are people around. Yeuch, I wish I wasn't up this early. Who opens their office at 8:30?
@braak: I think we should create a segregated society: Morning People and Non-morning People. Then those cheery motherfuckers can go running at 5:30 AM and leave the rest of us the f*ck alone.
@katastic: yeah...
@braak: braak, that's it. Let's get married.
@braak: We'll sleep in late and drink nothing but delisiouc seal smoothies. It's true love.
@katastic: Fried slices of panda cub. No one even has to move before eleven o'clock.
I'm down.
@braak: @katastic: Sounds like my honeymoon. Best of luck to you crazy kids.
@allycat: Do I dare hope for a Jezebellian collaborative poetry slam?
Roses are red, Rose McGowan blue.
Is it winter yet? Check the panda poo.
The solstice is here...
Help! Paul Janka has doffed my shoe!
/scuttles merrily off the stage before the tomatoes hit
@Twaddle: Rose McDowan WEARS blue. Sheesh, get it right.
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