Giant panda Update Nov 8, 2013

Our panda cub is growing bigger and bigger! She now weighs a hefty 8.14 pounds, and her tail is starting to shrink relative to the size of her body. And keepers report that they are starting to see ridges where her teeth will erupt. The cub devotes a lot of energy to scooting and crawling around the den, and keepers predict that it won't be much longer before she's ready to take her first steps.

On November 3, the cub caught her first glimpse of the world outside her den. Mei brought the cub into her larger indoor exhibit area for about 30 seconds, before carrying the cub back inside. Since then, Mei has taken the cub on several more brief excursions into the outside world.

Although she won't be ready for her public debut for a while, the cub is now old enough for keepers to start her training! Keepers are getting the cub accustomed to their presence and noise.

We're asking for your help to name our panda cub! Be sure to vote for your favorite name on Smithsonian.com. The voting page has exclusive photos of the cub.