China's panda cub breaks records

At birth, giant pandas are often fragile and weak

China's first panda of the year has been born and has already broken three records, according to state media.

Experts at the Wolong research centre in Sichuan say the cub is the first to be born so early in the year. Usually, pandas give birth in the autumn.

The cub's mother, Ji Ni, is the oldest at the centre to give birth, and her pregnancy is the longest recorded.

The female cub has survived the first crucial three days of life, and is now doing well, Xinhua news agency reports.

She measured just 13.2 cm (5.3 inches) and weighed 90g (3.15 ounces) on delivery, but she has since gained weight and appears to be healthy, the centre told Xinhua.

Giant pandas are one of the world's most endangered species.

Only about 1,600 remain in the wild, with another 180 living in captivity - about half of them at the pioneering Wolong centre.

Pandas have a very low fertility rate because they are often sexually inactive, so Chinese scientists have been breeding pandas through artificial insemination.

Nineteen pandas were born at the centre last year, 17 of which survived.

Around the world, a total of 34 healthy cubs were born in 2006.