Cloned cow "Shuang Shuang" gave birth to a female calf on Wednesday night in East China's Shandong Province.

The calf, "Jian Jian," is 72 centimetres long, 76 centimetres tall, measures 80 centimetres around the chest, and weighs 38 kilograms.

All Jian Jian's physiological indices were normal, with a heart rate of 180 beats per minute and a temperature of 39.3 degrees C, according to scientists at the Laiyang Agricultural College yesterday.

Scientists agreed that the birth of Jian Jian proves that cloned cattle can have normal reproductive functions.

"It is a big step forward in China's research in cloned cattle technology," said Dr Dong Yajuan at the animal embryo centre of the prestigious college.

Dr Dong said the research was of great importance in promoting embryo technology development and its applications in industry and commerce.

Following the birth of the first two somatic cell cloned cattle, "Kang Kang" and "Shuang Shuang," in November 2001, the centre has been closely monitoring every aspect of their development, including reproductive abilities.

On January 11 and 16 this year, scientists artificially fertilized Shuang Shuang and Kang Kang with frozen sperm from a sturdy black bull in Beijing. Both became pregnant and Kang Kang is expected to give birth in the near future.

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