BERLIN, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- The first, tiny teeth of the three-month-old baby panda twins at Berlin Zoo have started to peek through, it was announced this week.
The small white tips are visible during the pandas' frequent yawns, the zoo said on Tuesday.
"The first teeth are an important sign that the panda girls are growing healthy and strong, with everything progressing as expected," said Zoo and Tierpark Director Andreas Knieriem.
Franziska Sutter, the zoo's veterinarian, said that panda cubs typically begin teething at around three months old. "By the time they're about a year old, they'll have a complete set of 24 baby teeth," Sutter said.
The sisters, born on Aug. 22, now weigh over five kilograms each, and still spend most of their days cuddling and sleeping -- a true panda lifestyle.
The zoo said the twins continue to rely entirely on the milk of their mother, 11-year-old Meng Meng. It will still be quite some time before the twins can crunch through thick bamboo stalks, but their budding teeth are a crucial step in their development.
Unlike human babies, the teething process does not seem to cause the panda twins distress or sleepless nights.
The new twin cubs were born after an artificial insemination procedure on March 26, following intensive observation and careful preparation by an international team of experts.
Meng Meng arrived from China in 2017. In August 2019, she gave birth to the first-ever twin panda cubs in Germany, Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan. ■