For the whole first year of its life, the panda bear is completely dependent on its mother. The newborn panda is a tiny, helpless little creature. At birth, it looks like a little pink pig, and its eyes remain closed for three to four weeks. Pandas develop fairly slowly compared to most animals. The babies are completely dependent on their mothers for a long time. In fact, they don’t even begin to walk until they are about five months old. The only food they eat for at least a year is their mother's milk. That doesn’t stop them from growing, however. Pandas may weigh over fifty-five pounds (twenty-five kilograms) by the time they are a year old.