The East African savanna, a dry tropical grassland, is home to a rich array of spectacular animals. Predators like lions and cheetahs prey on grazing and browsing animals like zebras and gazelles. Stately birds like kori bustards stalk smaller prey while rarely seen naked mole-rats inhabit burrows on the savanna. You can see these species and more without traveling to Africa. Just come to the Zoo or take a virtual visit.

Animals from many parts of Africa make their home at the Zoo. The Zoo's Cheetah Conservation Station is home to Grevy's zebras, scimitar-horned oryx, dama gazelles, cheetahs, and other animals.

Cheetah Update: Building a Cheetah Coalition (Take 2)

Coalition building between Sampson and Nick did not go as well as we had hoped. Read more

Dama Gazelle Born at the Smithsonian's National Zoo

A male dama gazelle was born to mother Fahima and father Raul early morning Sept. 4 in an off-exhibit area. The following day, Sept. 5, Zoo veterinarians performed a complete physical exam, which includes: listening to the calf's heart and lungs; checking his mouth, eyes, legs, feet, umbilicus and genital area; taking blood samples; and observing the calf's mobility. He appears to be healthy and strong. more

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Please note: The cheetah cubs' temporary new home does not have web cams.

Sorry, this cam is undergoing maintenance and is temporarily unavailable. The sloth bear cam will be online in the near future. Thank you for your patience. The camera aimed on the sloth bears' large indoor enclosure was funded by a generous grant from the Smithsonian Women's Committee. About the Cubs | Help with cam Can't see any animals? The animal(s) in this enclosure may have moved out of view. Watching a cheetah mother and cubs Female cheetah Zazi is raising a cub she gave birth to and another mother's cub, both born in December 2010. Cheetahs that give birth to only one cub, called a singleton, cannot produce enough milk to keep the cub alive. The cub born to Amani, a first-time mother, was hand-raised for 13 days before being placed with Zazi, creating a litter of two that will likely help stimulate milk production from Zazi. These cheetahs are at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Front Royal, Virginia. If no cheetahs are visible, toggle between cams, as the cheetahs have the freedom to move between dens. Keeper Updates | Cheetah Facts | Adopt a Cheetah | Cub Photos Related Cams      Naked Mole-rat      Lions:   Lions | Lion Cubs 4W | Lion Cubs 5W | Lion Cubs 3W

Animal Enigma

This striped carnivore lives in many regions of Africa and is now on exhibit at the Small Mammal House. What is it?

Grasslands in Africa and Beyond

Africa's Sahel grassland, home to endangered scimitar-horned oryx and many other rare species, merges into the Sahara desert to the north and the savanna to the south. Mostly dry grasslands also cover southern Africa, home to cheetahs, Cape buffalo, black rhinos, and kori bustards also found in East Africa. Zoo scientists are working in all of these areas to help conserve the incredible biodiversity of Africa's grasslands.

North America's grasslands were once home to abundant black-footed ferrets, bison, and prairie dogs. On South America's plains, seriemas and maned wolves stalk prey. Parts of Asia, such as Mongolia, home of Bactrian camels, Mongolian gazelles, and Przewalski's horses, are covered with grasslands.