In 1999, when the time came to name the newest panda cub in captivity, a column in the San Diego Union-Tribune joked that the baby should be called “Truman.” Never mind that she was a female.

What exactly are pandas? Bears? Raccoons? A botched scientific experiment involving a cow, a bear, and a raccoon? Researchers ...

In the summer, he gets up as early as 3 a.m. to be at the front of the line. “Just seeing her face makes me feel incredibly happy,” he said. Rare, fluffy and irresistibly cute, pandas are ...