This is the hilarious moment a rare brown panda stands underneath a tree with his mouth open waiting for an apple to fall in.

Phone footage captured by an unnamed person at the zoo shows the male panda, named Qizai, standing upright on its hind legs next to a small tree in its enclosure in Xi’an, in China’s north-western Shaanxi Province.

Seemingly used to food always handed to him, he stood under a tiny branch that his keepers had stuck a juicy apple on.

Spectators kept laughing as Qizai repeatedly opened his mouth, waiting for the fruit to fall in.

After a while, he grew impatient and decided to climb the few extra inches that separated him from his prize, then slowly walked away with the apple.

His keepers jokingly branded him a “genius” in the caption of the video they shared on the panda’s Douyin profile, which is the Chinese version of TikTok, on Tuesday, 12th March.

A user called ‘Fulibai’ said: “Qizai seems to be lazier than the other bears. I have never seen him climb a tree, and he doesn’t like to play. Yesterday [MON] he was just wandering around with his eyes.”

And ‘Willow’ said: “This must be how Newton learnt the earth has gravity which is so funny.”

Man Gets Excited Over Rare Encounter With Giant Panda At Doorstep

The brown panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis), also known as the Qinling panda or Qinling giant panda. Is a rare subspecies of the giant panda found in the Qinling Mountains of Shaanxi Province, China.

Unlike the typical black and white fur of giant pandas, the brown panda has a unique brown and tan coat, making it distinct and visually striking.

This subspecies is smaller in size compared to other giant pandas and has slightly different skull characteristics.

The brown panda’s habitat is highly fragmented and threatened by human activities such as deforestation and habitat destruction. Making it one of the most endangered panda populations in the world.