Animal News
Jun. 07, 2019
For four years, the Reptile Discovery Center’s Asian water dragon female lived alone. Then, while examining eggs as part of a study, animal keepers made a shocking discovery—one was fertile! How...
Jun. 06, 2019
At the June Member Celebration on June 29, members get exclusive access to Research Hill, which is normally closed to the public.
Jun. 05, 2019
Life found a way at Smithsonian’s National Zoo, where a female Asian water dragon at the Reptile Discovery Center underwent facultative parthenogenesis—that is, she reproduced and contributed a...
Jun. 04, 2019
Education is often touted as the answer to large-scale issues like health security. But what does this actually look like on the ground? In late March, Global Health Program staff traveled to...
Jun. 03, 2019
Smithsonian veterinary research fellow Dr. Maureen Wanjiku Kamau is leading a study on wild eastern black rhinos in Kenya. Find out how her team is using poop to learn more about rhino reproduction.
May. 31, 2019
The Zoo's 4-month-old North American river otter pups are gaining confidence and exploring their habitat on American Trail, says animal keeper Jackie Spicer.
May. 29, 2019
A new study from SCBI and partners compares the bacterial communities (microbiome) in the gut of wild rhinos to that of those in human care, resulting in a recommendation for a health-boosting rhino...
May. 28, 2019
Smokey Bear has been preventing wildfires for 75 years. In celebration, we’ve collaborated with the Forest Service to bring Zoo visitors a new exhibit highlighting the story of this famous bear.
May. 23, 2019
In April, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center spent two weeks in Texas for the second season of “Ecology of Urban Birds,” a program that brings middle school students into the field with...
May. 23, 2019
A new Smokey Bear outdoor exhibit opened May 23 inviting visitors to look back in time to the mid-20th century, when a black bear cub was rescued from a forest fire and placed under the Zoo’s care....
May. 21, 2019
A new Smokey Bear outdoor exhibit will open at Smithsonian’s National Zoo Thursday, May 23, inviting visitors to look back at the legacy of one of the most famous residents in the Zoo’s 130-year...
May. 20, 2019
Roughly a month and a half after Mei Xiang’s artificial insemination, things at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat are settling into their regular routine.
May. 17, 2019
Like many aging animals, Asian elephant Shanthi has osteoarthritis. She was first diagnosed with the chronic condition when she was in her teens. Zoo keepers and veterinarians have spent decades...
May. 17, 2019
DNA is the ultimate library, and scientists at SCBI’s Center for Species Survival and Center for Conservation Genomics are cataloging it as diligently as any librarians.
May. 14, 2019
Listed below are events being held June through August as part of the “Dino Summer” experience at Smithsonian’s National Zoo.
May. 08, 2019
Landscape ecologist Hila Shamon spent the first two weeks of April working with American Prairie Reserve to place GPS collars on plains bison.
May. 06, 2019
On May 5, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute welcomed thousands of visitors to celebrate community and diversity in recognition of International Family Equality Day.
May. 03, 2019
Happy salamander Saturday! This annual holiday honoring these amazing amphibians takes place on the first Saturday in May. To celebrate, we’re counting down animal keeper Matt Neff’s top six favorite...
May. 03, 2019
Many creatures, great and small, call grasslands their home, including the most diverse and abundant animals: arthropods! Knowing which grasses provide the ideal habitat for arthropods will...
May. 03, 2019
Over the winter, Bornean orangutan Redd learned some new husbandry behaviors! Read the latest #OrangutanStory from primate keeper Erin Stromberg.
May. 03, 2019
Two peanuts sit on a tray. One is beneath the curve of a tool; the other is beside a different tool, out of reach. Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Allen’s swamp monkey Nub Armstrong is eyeing both. Will...
May. 01, 2019
May is for Members at the Zoo, which means that every single day of the month will bring a special offer or discount—just for FONZ members. And whether you're a member or not, you'll get a big...
Apr. 26, 2019
A tiny egg nestled in an incubator at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute began wiggling and cracking April 22 until a featherless Guam kingfisher chick emerged. Guam kingfishers are...
Apr. 26, 2019
In November 2018, Smithsonian researchers spent two weeks in Peru counting and identifying fish. In part two of this story, meet more of the animals they encountered and find out how their work could...
Apr. 24, 2019
This summer visitors can travel back millions of years as the Zoo presents "Dino Summer” featuring two dinosaur experiences of prehistoric proportions — “Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Live,” a theater...