Two red panda cubs born this summer at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. just got their names. The two female red panda cubs were born on the stormy evening of June 17, 2011. Their new names reflect the wild weather on the night of their birth. One of the cubs is named Pili, which means “clap of thunder” in Chinese. The other is named Damini, which means “lightning” in Nepalese.

Red pandas are endangered animals that live in the mountains. They are much smaller than giant pandas, growing to about the size of a housecat. They live in Nepal, Myanmar, and China.

See pictures of Pili and Damini on the National Zoo’s website.

Get facts on red pandas on National Geographic.

Watch a video about another baby red panda on National Geographic Kids.

Photograph courtesy Mehgan Murphy, Smithsonian’s National Zoo