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PHOTOS: Panda cubs thriving at Toronto Zoo

The 21-day-old panda cubs are "progressing quite well," according to a report from the Toronto Zoo. Toronto Zoo.

TORONTO – Three weeks after their birth, the Toronto Zoo’s twin panda cubs are flourishing after tripling in size.

The zoo released a progress report today on the first two panda cubs born in Canada.

The 21-day-old cubs are still in a “critical time,” but “are progressing quite well” and mother Er Shun is showing “strong maternal instincts,” the zoo reports.

First-time mother pandas will sometimes reject their cubs or, in the case of twins, reject the smaller one.

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The cubs, as yet unnamed, have tripled in size since their birth; the smaller cub has grown six cm and weighs 422 grams, while the larger has grown at the same rate but weighs 672 grams, or about the weight of two standard-size soft drink cans.

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“Also, you can now start to see on their tiny paws where they are developing the groove by their pseudo thumb pads, which will enable them to hold bamboo when they get much older,” the zoo’s statement reads.

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