China

Coming from mountain ranges throughout China, I chose baby panda bears to be the "animal of the week" for week number two.

Don't let that adorable picture fool you, though. Panda bears are known for their fluffy, black and white fur. What you might not know is that they have to grow into their cuteness. Newborn cubs weigh only three to five ounces (about the size of a stick of butter and 1/900th the size of mom), they're blind and nearly hairless! Yep, these little guys are born pink and bald!

 

 

Don't worry though, it only takes a couple weeks for baby pandas to start developing their color. However, their teeth don't appear and their eyesight doesn't improve until three or four months after birth. Between five and six months, baby pandas finally mimic mom and trot happily behind her. It only takes a year and a half to two years for the cubs to go off on their own where they spend most of their time resting and eating.

 

If learning about these awesome animals didn't make you smile, check out this video!