Blizzard at the Zoo: Giant Panda Plays in the Snow (Video)

Giant pandas like Tian Tian are native to China, where they live in the wild at elevations between 5,000 and 10,000 feet (1,500 and 3,000 meters), according to the National Zoo. There, they are acclimated to torrential rains and enjoy the forest's dense understory of bamboo — depending on which part of the bamboo they're eating, an adult giant panda must munch through 20 to 88 lbs. (9 to 40 kg) of the plant to get necessary nutrition, according to Pandas International. All giant pandas are native to China, which loans the endangered animals to foreign zoos like the National Zoo.

Tian Tian is the father of the zoo's newest cub, Bei Bei, who was born to Mei Xiang on Aug. 22, 2015.

The National Zoo is closed today due to the snow.

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Jeanna Bryner is managing editor of Scientific American. Previously she was editor in chief of Live Science and, prior to that, an editor at Scholastic's Science World magazine. Bryner has an English degree from Salisbury University, a master's degree in biogeochemistry and environmental sciences from the University of Maryland and a graduate science journalism degree from New York University. She has worked as a biologist in Florida, where she monitored wetlands and did field surveys for endangered species, including the gorgeous Florida Scrub Jay. She also received an ocean sciences journalism fellowship from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She is a firm believer that science is for everyone and that just about everything can be viewed through the lens of science.