Your morning adorable: San Diego Zoo's giant panda cub is growing up (and will soon have a name)

The San Diego Zoo reports that its male giant panda cub, born in early August, is "definitely hitting all the panda milestones," making gains in weight (more than a pound in just the last week, for a current total of 11.7 pounds) and length (24.8 inches from head to tail). 

The zoo held a contest last month to allow the panda-loving public to offer their name suggestions for the cub, who, in accordance with Chinese tradition, won't be officially named until he's 100 days old.  After the submission period was over, keepers, veterinarians, scientists and other zoo staff chose five favorites from the entries. Next, the Chinese Wildlife Conservation Assn. had to approve the five proposed names, and with that done, the zoo allowed visitors to its website and Facebook fan page to vote for their favorite name.

Voting is now over -- the zoo says it received nearly 18,000 votes -- but the suspense continues, because the winning name won't be announced until a Nov. 17 naming ceremony. The five name finalists are Xiǎo Lóng ("Little Dragon"), Xióng Wěi ("Extraordinary Bear"), Fú Shèng ("Blissful San Diego"), Yǒng Xiǎng ("Eternally Blessed") and Yún Zǐ ("Son of Cloud").

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-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo: The as-yet-unnamed cub at his 13-week veterinary exam. Credit: Ken Bohn / AFP/Getty Images

Comments

[Americas Best Zoos author]

I can't wait to go see this adorable panda cub! This is an example of what makes the San Diego Zoo the best zoo in America.

Allen Nyhuis, Coauthor: America's Best Zoos