National & International News

Say My Name: Baby Giant Panda Is Named ... Bei Bei

By Eyder Peralta

Published September 25, 2015 at 11:51 AM EDT

The baby giant panda at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., was given a name.

Meet our cub: Bei Bei! He’s our little endangered #bae. Thanks @FLOTUS and Mme. Peng Liyuan! #PandaStory pic.twitter.com/u4tcHYn3Sb
— National Zoo (@NationalZoo) September 25, 2015

The little guy had some VIP help. The name was chosen by first lady Michelle Obama and China's first lady, Madame Peng Liyuan.

Here's the pool report from the ceremony:

"The panda born on August 22 here to Mei Xiang has a name! It's Bei Bei. It was chosen by FLOTUS and Ms. Peng and they revealed it in English and Chinese by unrolling scrolls tied by ribbons with help of two school kids."

It's pronounced "Bay-Bay."

There's no word, yet, on how Beyoncé feels about all this.

Either way, here are some gratuitous images of the little critter:

This is what 2.95lbs. of adorable looks like. At the same ages his siblings were 2 & 2.6lbs. #PandaStory pic.twitter.com/wFLBoQxbSo
— National Zoo (@NationalZoo) September 22, 2015

Corrected: September 28, 2015 at 12:00 AM EDT

An earlier version of this post said Bei Bei had been named after turning 100 days old as tradition dictates. In fact, the National Zoo broke with tradition, saying that "scientists and keepers at giant panda breeding and research centers in China do not wait 100 days to name cubs born at those facilities."