Wild pandas caught in the act of courtship

A pair of wild giant pandas was captured courting on camera on March 3, in Tangjiahe reserve in Guangyuan, Southwest China's Sichuan province.

In the video clips taken by staff at the reserve, a female giant panda is sitting lazily on a branch, basking in the warm sunshine. Not long after, a male giant panda climbs up to her. While approaching, he scratches his buttocks with his hind leg, and rubs against the branch, causing it to shake, in a bid to attract the female's attention.

Experts noted that giant pandas usually use their perianal glands to transfer their scent. Such behavior is closely related to the arrival of their estrous period.

Up to now, Motianling Ridge in the reserve has recorded wild giant pandas for eight consecutive years. More and more video materials provide important references for the study of giant pandas' survival and breeding in the wild.

Surrounded by winding rivers, rolling hills and a sea of clouds, Tangjiahe reserve is home to 430 species of vertebrate and over 2,400 types of plants. It boasts 13 species of national first-class protected animals, including the golden snub-nosed monkey, takins and Chinese monals, as well as four species of national first-class protected plants.