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Animal News

Dec. 03, 2021
From smart shrews to clever coatis, each animal in the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Small Mammal House receives enrichment. Keeper Ann Gutowski shares how the animal care team puts together puzzle...
Dec. 03, 2021
Listen up! Rosalie's now 7-week-old cubs are feisty, playful and healthy. Keepers even captured a video of one cub up-close to the fence, chirping. Read on to learn to speak cheetah and get the...
perched sparrow with a stubby, conical bill and mostly white breast with subtle hues of brown and gray on its face and back
Dec. 03, 2021
Meet our nearly 16-year-old male and female swamp sparrows, who keepers liken to an old married couple. They squabble and jockey for food. They take frequent naps. And, as with people, they have...
Dec. 03, 2021
Have you herd . . . our Persian onager filly and scimitar-horned oryx calves are exploring their surroundings! Get the latest update on their adventures from Tara Buk, Smithsonian Conservation...
Red panda Asa standing in the snow and eating bamboo.
Dec. 03, 2021
Get to know our red pandas’ personalities and insider tips on the best times to spot them from Asia Trail keeper Mariel Lally.  
A young man in a hat and plaid shirt examines a large white skull of an elephant
Dec. 01, 2021
Dr. James Hassell, wildlife veterinarian, epidemiologist and Keller Family Skorton Scholar for the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Global Health Program was selected as the runner up on...
Nov. 29, 2021
Winter came a little early for giant pandas Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and Xiao Qi Ji. Our Department of Nutrition Science team provided all three pandas with a pallet of ice to play in!
Animal balancing on a branch
Nov. 29, 2021
Nov. 29 is World Anteater Day. Celebrate by getting to know one of the remarkable members of the anteater family: the tamandua!
a female veterinarian holds a stethoscope to a cheetah cub while an animal keeper holds the cub
Nov. 24, 2021
It’s been another busy week for Rosalie and her five cubs, from their first taste of meat to their first veterinary exam.
Nov. 19, 2021
The cheetah cubs are back on the Cheetah Cub Cam! Check out this adorable video and tune into the Cheetah Cub Cam in the evenings for a chance to catch the cubs live.
Nov. 12, 2021
Each spring, the Northern Great Plains erupts with life as migratory birds return to build nests and raise their young. Smithsonian researchers are studying these grassland birds that nets in areas...
Nov. 12, 2021
Cheetah mom Rosalie and her five cubs continue to do well and live between the den without a webcam and the tall grasses in their yard.
A close-up of a Kirtland's warbler songbird
Nov. 10, 2021
In these excerpts from his field journal, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center intern Haley Haradon transports you to Michigan’s young jack pine forests as he searches for Kirtland’s warbler nests.
Brandie Smith, John and Adrienne Mars Director, Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
Nov. 09, 2021
Brandie Smith has been named the John and Adrienne Mars Director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, effective Nov. 9. Smith previously served as acting director of...
Geoffroy's marmosets Edwin (left) and Lilo (right) sitting on a branch in their exhibit.
Nov. 08, 2021
On Nov. 3, Small Mammal House keepers said goodbye to our last Geoffroy’s marmoset, Lilo. At 12 years old, she was considered geriatric for her species; typically, Geoffroy’s marmosets in human care...
Nov. 08, 2021
On Saturday, Nov. 6, cheetah mom Rosalie moved her cubs out of the webcam dens and back to the tall grasses in her yard, creating her own natural den. Read on for the full account of the cubs'...
Panamanian golden frog among leaves, ferns and logs.
Nov. 05, 2021
For decades, scientists have wondered whether the key to saving frogs from the deadly chytrid fungus lies in their skin. Could they genetically modify bacteria found in the frogs’ mucus layer and...
Nov. 05, 2021
They’re goofy, sweet and superstars at training — meet Ronnie and Bradley, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s siamangs! These apes may be small in stature, but their endearing personalities (and...
Nov. 05, 2021
Meet the loggerhead shrike—a beautiful songbird with a gruesome reputation for impaling its prey on thorns and barbs. More frightening than the “butcher bird’s” hunting habit is the reality that...
Nov. 04, 2021
Food for thought: Nutrition forms the foundation to living a healthy life. Get a taste of the challenges real-life Zoo Guardian and Clinical Animal Nutritionist, Erin Kendrick, faces as she...
Nov. 04, 2021
Keepers can learn a lot about an animal’s needs just by monitoring its weight. But how do you weigh a wiggly ferret or get a full-grown elephant onto a scale? Find out in this update from primate...
Nov. 04, 2021
Rosalie’s five 3-week-old cubs have us smiling! Over the weekend, keepers did a quick visual check on the cubs and noticed at least one had some teeth. Read on for the full update and watch a sweet...
Nov. 03, 2021
Earlier this month, our black-footed ferrets slated for breeding centers and wild release departed Smithsonian’s Conservation Biology Institute. This included Black-footed Ferret Webcam stars Potpie...
Cardiac ultrasound performed on Guam rail.
Nov. 02, 2021
Guam rails are small, speedy ground birds who can only fly three to 10 feet at a time. They are also only the second bird in history – after the California condor – to recover from being extinct in...
Oct. 29, 2021
It was a busy week for Rosalie and her five cubs, as they moved back inside an artificial den and are back on the Cheetah Cub Cam. Animal care staff were finally able weigh each cub!