Giant panda Mei Xiang just gave birth to twin cubs at the National Zoo

Mei Xiang, one of two giant pandas at Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., gave birth to twin cubs hours apart Saturday. They mark her second and third cubs in two years, following the birth of Bao Bao in August 2013.

The pandas, which are not yet named, must be reared apart, but both twins will get time with their mother, The Washington Post reports. Giant pandas have twins about half of the time, a zoo official said, but can only raise one cub at a time.

As part of an agreement with China, the cubs will be returned to their mother's home country four years after birth.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up