News Archive

Small Mammal House keepers at Smithsonian’s National Zoo are mourning the loss of Thor, an elderly male sand cat who was humanely euthanized Sept. 29 due to a recent and irreversible decline in health. He was 14 years old.

Our 6-week-old giant panda cub is packing on the pounds! Get the scoop on his weekly weigh-in from assistant curator Laurie Thompson.

We hope that you have enjoyed watching black-footed ferret Potpie and her kits on the Black-footed Ferret Cam! Join us in celebrating the next chapter in their lives, contributing to their species’ survival.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s 6-week-old giant panda cub is a male, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientists confirmed. During the cub’s first veterinary exam Sept. 19, Zoo veterinarians obtained a swab from his cheek for DNA analysis to determine the cub’s sex.

An update from Associate Director of Communications and Exhibits Pamela Baker-Masson regarding fall 2020 happenings at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.

Giant panda keeper Marty Dearie shares that the Zoo's 6-week-old cub is starting to open its eyes. Check out the latest #PandaStory update!

Nature is often awe-inspiring, but the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s 1-month-old giant panda cub is also ‘aww’-inspiring. Hear the stories behind September's precious moments from the Panda Team.

Our playful 3-month-old Hartmann's mountain zebra colt is a bundle of energy! Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute ungulate keeper Tara Buk shares how the colt spent his summer in her latest update on our growing herd.

Animal keeper Kyle Miller leaps into his experience caring for Cuban crocodiles!

Check out a video of last week's giant panda cub exam!

When Mei Xiang left her den to grab a bite to eat this morning, the Panda Team had another opportunity to conduct a brief exam on our 1-month-old giant panda cub.

Sept. 24 is World Gorilla Day, and we are celebrating with an update on our 2-year-old, Moke, and his troop!

After an absence of more than 50 years, the swift fox has returned to the grasslands of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana.

Animal keeper Mariel Lally shares the fluffy scoop on caring for red pandas!

Our giant panda cub has reached a big milestone—today marks one month since its birth Aug. 21. Over the weekend, Mei Xiang left the den, and an opportunity arose to conduct the cub's first veterinary exam!

Guess who is four weeks old today! After 28 days of devoted care from mother Mei Xiang, our giant panda cub is growing into the species’ signature “plump.”

Whether you know them as red pandas, red bear-cats, firefoxes, first pandas, lesser pandas or simply “the other pandas,” get to know these ferociously furry animals.

Exciting news! When giant panda Mei Xiang left the den Sept. 13 to eat some bamboo, the panda team was able to retrieve her 3-week-old cub for its first neonatal exam.

It’s hard to believe that we are already celebrating our youngest Bornean orangutan’s fourth birthday! Catch up on the latest Redd news from primate keeper Erin Stromberg.

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.