Panda archive

Da Ni

大妮

alive female Born August 7, 2015

Da Ni (大妮, studbook #965) is a female giant panda born August 7, 2015 at the Chengdu Research Base. Twin of Xiao Ni, she earned the unlikely nickname "Determined Salamander" as a cub — she couldn't walk properly and dragged her hind legs, which reminded keepers of a giant salamander swimming. The name was a pun: "大妮" sounds like "大鲵" (giant salamander).

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This page brings together the core facts, timeline, family graph, media, place journey, and related reading for Da Ni.

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Profile snapshot

Quick facts

Birth date

August 7, 2015

Birth place

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

Current location

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

Status

Alive

Studbook

#965

Archive activity

2 updates · 0 media

Narrative

Life story

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Short version

Basic Profile

Da Ni (Chinese: 大妮, nickname Zhi Jian/志坚 — “Determined”), studbook number 965, is a female giant panda born on August 7, 2015 at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Her mother is Ni Ni (妮妮) and her twin sister is Xiao Ni (小妮). They were welcomed as the newest members of the base’s “2015 Olympic Babies” — a cohort of cubs born during the year of Beijing’s bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The Salamander Cub

Da Ni’s early months were distinctive. She was slow to learn to walk — when she moved, she dragged her hind legs behind her in a crawling motion that looked nothing like a typical panda cub’s gait. Keepers, watching her determinedly drag herself across the enclosure, began calling her a “娃娃鱼” (giant salamander) — a critically endangered Chinese amphibian that moves with a similar crawling motion.

The nickname was a layered pun:

“大妮” (Da Ni) sounds nearly identical to “大鲵” (Da Ni), the Chinese word for giant salamander
Her determined attitude earned her the qualifier “身残志坚” — “physically challenged but strong-willed”

As she grew, Da Ni eventually learned to walk normally. But the nickname stuck, becoming one of the more unusual origin stories in the panda world.

Life Journey

On February 6, 2016, Da Ni received her official name through a global naming contest. On March 26, 2016, she moved to the Dujiangyan Panda Valley, where she lived for five years before returning to the Chengdu Research Base in 2021.

Evidence

Life timeline

Key updates and milestone events tied to Da Ni.

2 updates

2015 (2)

Birth Aug 7, 2015

Birth of Da Ni

Da Ni was born at Chengdu Base, nicknamed "Determined Salamander" for her unusual crawling.

Birth Aug 2, 2015

Birth of Si Yun Yun

Si Yun Yun was born at Chengdu Base, twin of Si Nian, half-brother of He Hua. Moved to Xiamen in 2018.

Knowledge graph

Family and network

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Mother Half-siblings (grouped)

Fuhin #1138 Kai Hin #782 Mei Hin #737 Ni Na #1082 Saihin #1154 Sakura Hin #944 Tou Hin #945 Xing Guang #1243 Yong Hin #738 You Hin #776 You Hin #783 You Hin #832 Yui Hin #1047

Da Ni has 13 half-siblings. The majority share the same mother, Rau Hin .

Related profiles

Other pandas connected to Da Ni

These profiles are linked through place, lineage, and broader archive context.

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Da Ni

Start with the profile, then expand into the archive around this panda

Quick facts

Life story

Basic Profile

The Salamander Cub

Life Journey

Life timeline

Birth of Da Ni

Birth of Si Yun Yun

Family and network

Other pandas connected to Da Ni

Fuhin

Kai Hin

Mei Hin

Ni Na

Rau Hin

Saihin

Sakura Hin

Tou Hin

Xing Guang

Yong Hin

You Hin

You Hin

You Hin

Yui Hin

A Jie

Ai Lan

Ba Xi

Bei Bei

Dian Dian

He Feng

Hua Bao

Jia He

Jia Mei

Jia Pan Pan

Jia Yueyue

Ke Da

Mang Zai

Meng Lan

Nuan Nuan

Olympia

Ping Ping

Qing Xiao

Si Nian

Si Yun Yun

Xue Du

Xue Qiu

Ya Jun

Ya Xing

Yi Yun

Ying Xue

Yue Yue

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Place journey

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

Current location

Archive paths

Mentioned in archive reading

Behind Every Name: The Art and Meaning of Naming Giant Pandas

More connections

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Same country

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