Baby Panda Birth Video Footage Released By National Zoo

WASHINGTON -- The National Zoo has released panda cam footage of what the zoo officials believe is giant panda Mei Xiang giving birth to her brand new cub.

The black-and-white footage, which you can see above, was taken from 10:31 p.m. to 11:01 p.m. on Sunday night. The zoo believes that the new baby -- yet unnamed -- was born at 10:46 p.m.

It's hard to see much happening in the video, which stands to reason: the new baby weighs only about 4 ounces, about the size of a stick of butter. (Hence Mei Xiang's first baby, Tai Shan, being nicknamed Butterstick.)

The baby will likely get its first examination in two to three weeks, and will be named on Dec. 24. For now, zoo personnel are monitoring Mei Xiang and her cub on the panda cam.

Chief veterinarian Suzan Murray said in a media release that based on what the zoo has seen so far, Mei Xiang is "is behaving exactly the same way she did when Tai Shan was born. She is cradling her cub closely, and she looks so tired, but every time she tries to lay down, the cub squawks and she sits right up and cradles the cub more closely.

"She is the poster child for a perfect panda mom."