News

Guam kingfishers are incredibly rare and difficult to breed, so we are thrilled to be closing out the breeding season with four new chicks. This has been our biggest year to date — and one of our busiest!

Ecologist Andy Boyce discovered a lobster fossil near his field site in Montana, evidence that long ago this area of the Northern Great Plains was once the floor of a shallow sea.

Our giant panda cub is growing! As our newborn packs on the grams, it is becoming a bit easier to spot on the Panda Cam.

Spindly legs and thick, red fur have earned them the nickname “foxes on stilts,” but maned wolves are neither fox nor wolf. Today, researchers are monitoring maned wolves' heart rates to learn more about these unique and charismatic canids.

Goats are cute … and curious, too! Get the scoop on training these energetic animals from keeper Nikki Maticic, who has been working with the Kids’ Farm goats for more than four years.

A "surprise" spider tortoise hatchling arrived July 5 at the Reptile Discovery Center! Get the scoop from assistant curator Matt Evans.

As our young Bornean orangutan nears his fourth birthday, primate keeper Erin Stromberg reflects on how his relationships with the adults in his social network have blossomed over the last year.

As we celebrate the birth of our newest giant panda cub, take a look back at our top 10 favorite moments from the cub's first two weeks, as seen on the Panda Cam!

Giant panda Mei Xiang continues to be a wonderful mother to her newborn. Last night, she gently set the cub down on the floor of their den and walked into her main indoor enclosure to drink some water.

Our giant panda cub appears to be growing nicely! Over the weekend, the Panda Cam revealed a peek of its tiny paws compared to those of mother Mei Xiang.

Mothers are not only our first friends, they are also our first teachers. In August, our wonderful cheetah mother Echo was busy teaching her 4.5-month-old cubs vocalizations.

Last night, giant panda Mei Xiang gave us another peek at her precious cub! If you look closely, you can see its iconic black eye markings starting to appear.

Big news! Early this morning, our Panda Team observed giant panda Mei Xiang leave the den twice to get a drink of water at 4:27 a.m. and 5:59 a.m. Her brief reprieve offered Panda Cam viewers a look at the growing cub!

Last night around 5:40 p.m., Mei Xiang placed the cub on the floor of her den for just a few seconds, giving all of those watching the Panda Cam a fantastic view of her growing cub.

Giant panda Mei Xiang and her newborn cub continue to do well. As Mei Xiang shifts from a resting position (laying down) to a nursing position (sitting up) and vice-versa, she occasionally holds the cub delicately in her mouth.

Mei Xiang, our 22-year-old giant panda, continues to be a devoted mother. Interestingly, she has found a new position to hold this cub.

Our panda team observed Mei Xiang and her cub overnight and were happy with the behaviors they saw. As expected, Mei Xiang is being an excellent and attentive mother. She has already established positions for nursing and sleeping.

Smithsonian’s National Zoo staff will be available to discuss the recent giant panda cub birth.

Giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) gave birth to a cub at Smithsonian’s National Zoo today, Aug. 21 at 6:35 p.m.

A new genomic study ranks the potential of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to bind to the ACE2 receptor site in 410 vertebrate animals. Old World primates and great apes, which have identical amino acids at the binding site as humans, are predicted to have a very high propensity for binding ACE2 and...

Breeding season is the most demanding time of year for the bird team at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, but it can also be the most rewarding.

State-of-the-art tracking technology reveals previously unknown long-distance movements of Kirtland’s warblers during the mating season that have important conservation implications for North American birds.

It is hard to believe that cheetah cubs Amabala, Jabari, Hasani and Erindi are already four months old! As the cubs grow, we want to ensure that they have a strong relationship with us.

Veterinarians at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo detected tissue consistent with fetal development during Mei Xiang’s ultrasound this morning, Aug. 14.

The furry, feathered and scaly world of zoos, animal care and conservation comes to life in “Zoo Guardians,” a new mobile game launched today. Players are invited to build their own zoos, care for animals, complete quests and interact with realistic 3D representations of wildlife via augmented...