In my last post, I discussed how maneuvering the pandas from different environments here at Bifengxia can have a direct effect on observed behaviors. This could be due to a number of factors, however, the first that comes to mind is being presented with new neighboring pandas. Well today I would like to discuss a different kind of potential influence on behaviors: Weather. Whenever we conduct a stereotypical study we always record the temperature when the study was completed and note any kind of unusual weather conditions. I was given a unique opportunity to observe Xiang Lin under some adverse weather conditions today, after recently observing his neighboring pandas on previous days, thus giving me a solid ability to see the difference in behavior potentially caused by the weather.

The morning session with Xiang Lin was conducted under heavy rain and near freezing temperatures. While I was rendered to a state of shivering and a desire to be inside under a blanket, Xiang Lin was seemingly energized by this weather. He ran about his environment and was particularly interested by neighboring Le Sheng. He scent marked throughout the study and frequently stereotyped including a unique water play stereotype where she would repeatedly dunk his legs and head into water. The most interesting thing to me though was the array of vocalizations that were on display throughout the session. Pandas are capable of emitting quite a few odd vocalizations but up until this point I had only heard a few of them. This session gave me a chance to hear some very unusual vocalizations, including quite a few barks when Xiang Lin would be directly facing Le Sheng.

The afternoon session presented an entirely different scenario, as the heavy rain had now shifted to light snowfall. This change didn’t slow Xiang Lin down at all though as he continued to maneuver around quickly, but this time focusing on his fairly new neighbor, Na Na. Even more scent marks were displayed and although there were less vocalizations than recorded in the morning session, there were more barks and these barks were louder and more aggressive. I think the most notable takeaway from both sessions was the increased activity and lack of feeding time and complete absence of any sleep, both of which are usually very prevalent in the afternoon sessions. This wasn’t just observed with the focal of the sessions but also the neighboring bears who were just as active and vocal. With more rain and cold ahead, it will be interesting to see if these patterns persist.

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