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Animal News

Apr. 19, 2019
Humans have Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat. Wire-tailed manakins have social networks, too. For more than 17 years, Smithsonian ornithologist Brandt Ryder has studied this bird's unique social...
Apr. 12, 2019
It is hard to believe that an entire year has passed since the day that Moke, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo's infant western lowland gorilla, was born. In the blink of an eye, he has grown from a...
A photo from the second naked mole-rat cam at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. The cam gives a behind-the-scenes look at the naked mole-rats moving through the tunnels that link the chambers of their exhibit together.
Apr. 11, 2019
Virtual visitors to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s website will soon be able to watch naked mole-rats on two live webcams ...
An adult Tibetan antelope in rural west China.
Apr. 09, 2019
In a rural area of west China, the highest railroad on earth transports visitors from Qinghai to Tibet (QTR).
Apr. 05, 2019
April 7 is International Beaver Day, so sink your (orange) teeth into these fun beaver facts!
Apr. 05, 2019
Lemurs like to do more than move it, move it. At the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, these primates party! Every April, animal keepers throw a big birthday bash for the Zoo’s ring-tailed lemurs, black-...
Apr. 05, 2019
Stories about amphibians don’t always end with “happily ever after,” but scientists around the globe, including Brian Gratwicke at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, are working together...
North American River Otter Pups Coquille (female), Potomac (male) and Nash (male).
Apr. 05, 2019
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo is otterly delighted to introduce Coquille, Potomac and Nash — American Trail’s adorable North American river otter pups! Get the latest news in this PUPdate.
Apr. 02, 2019
Springtime at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute has arrived, and we are looking forward to warmer weather, longer days and many exciting events.
Andean Bear Beorn
Apr. 02, 2019
See a list of events being held at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo from April through the beginning of June 2019.
A medium-sized cat with thick fur with dark spots and stripes, called a fishing cat, walks along some longs
Apr. 01, 2019
Fishing cats are vulnerable in the wild across South and Southeast Asia, and sightings by scientists are few and far between. Not many of these small spotted cats live in zoos either, which could...
Giant panda Mei Xiang sits in the grass eating bamboo in her outdoor habitat at the Smithsonian's National Zoo
Mar. 29, 2019
A team of reproductive scientists, veterinarians and panda keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute performed an artificial insemination on giant panda Mei Xiang (...
Mar. 28, 2019
An international study led by The Australian National University (ANU) has found that a fungal disease has caused dramatic population declines in at least 501 amphibian species, including 90...
Mar. 22, 2019
Get the scoop on the reunion between western lowland gorilla infant Moke and his troop from Becky Malinsky, assistant curator of Primates. 
giant panda mei xiang in her yard
Mar. 21, 2019
On March 15, Mei Xiang started exhibiting behavioral signs that breeding season is approaching!
An approximately 5-month-old wallaby joey sticks its head out of its mom's pouch.
Mar. 20, 2019
A wallaby popped its head out of its mother’s pouch last week at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. 
Asian Small-Clawed Otter Peaches
Mar. 15, 2019
Asia Trail keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are mourning the loss of Peaches, a 7-year-old female Asian small-clawed otter who was humanely euthanized March 11. Over the past eight months,...
Mar. 08, 2019
On March 7, 2019, the Smithsonian's National Zoo received combined preliminary and final approval from the National Capital Planning Commission for its perimeter fencing plan focused on improving...
A brown kiwi chick, a flightless bird native to New Zealand, at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
Mar. 07, 2019
A female brown kiwi chick hatched at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) Feb. 3 and is thriving after initially requiring veterinary care. The chick had difficulty hatching, and her...
A male whooping crane named Alta at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.
Mar. 07, 2019
A scimitar-horned oryx, an elderly whooping crane and an Eld’s deer died at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) between Feb. 23 and Feb. 26.
A naked mole-rat eating a piece of lettuce.
Mar. 06, 2019
There seems to be a favorite in the naked mole-rat colony. 
A shade-grown coffee farmer stands near a handmade table and wood stump stools in a forested area of the El Roble farm in Colombia featuring a variety of plants of varying heights
Mar. 05, 2019
The coffee farm El Roble, nestled high above the Mesa de los Santos region of Colombia, has been in owner Oswaldo Acevedo’s family since 1840. He credits the beauty and ecological diversity of the...
A small, green-brown frog, called a wood frog, with smooth skin, large eyes and stripes along its hind legs sits on the ground in a bed of fallen leaves
Mar. 05, 2019
Smithsonian scientists and partners believe genetic diversity could hold the key to saving amphibians from Ranavirus, a pathogen that is particularly devastating to frogs and toads in the U.S.
Mar. 01, 2019
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo was created in 1889 and opened its doors in 1891. To celebrate its 130th anniversary, look back at how the Zoo has evolved through the years.
Center for Conservation and Sustainability team with a drone in Peru
Mar. 01, 2019
What’s that in Peru’s sky? It’s a conservation drone! The new super hero of Peru has just arrived, and it is here to fight deforestation, safeguard ecosystem restoration and protect nature along with...