Let’s play a game…for science! With a tap of the touch-screen computer, orangutans at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo try their memories at matching pictures. These games help scientists study the apes’ metacognition.
When Asian elephant Swarna needed her teeth examined, animal keepers tried something that had never been done at the Zoo before. Over two months, they trained the 44-year-old elephant to voluntarily participate in dental radiographs!
Amani (Ah-MON-ee), an elderly cheetah living at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, was humanely euthanized Feb. 19.
With each passing day, western lowland gorilla infant Moke places more weight on his injured leg. His gait and movement have improved over the past month.
On Feb. 23, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China hosted a housewarming party, sponsored by Airbnb, to celebrate the new exhibit for visitors inside the Zoo’s giant panda house.
Without ever laying eyes on a San Joaquin kit fox, scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute know how many of the cute creatures live in California’s Ciervo-Panoche Natural Area.
You’re invited to a housewarming celebration! The new visitor interpretive exhibit in the panda house is finished and we would love for everyone to come visit and see it.
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China will host a housewarming, sponsored by Airbnb, to celebrate the new exhibit for visitors inside the panda house.
Conservation ecologist Andy Boyce lives on the American Prairie Reserve in Phillips County, Montana. It's rugged, it's wild and it's one of the only places left on Earth where scientists have the chance to preserve a complete prairie ecosystem.
Ecologist Bill McShea shares how the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s collaboration with American Prairie Reserve will help scientists better understand how changes to the grasslands affect the wildlife that call it home.
The Smithsonian Bird Friendly® certification seal has evolved twice since the program began 20 years ago. The latest logo is a bold rectangle that features shady habitat, soaring songbirds and the Smithsonian Sunburst.
We’re happy to welcome you back from our unscheduled break in naked mole-rat viewing! Life in our naked mole-rat colony has bustled on during the past three-and-a-half weeks.
Don’t let his prickly appearance deter you – Quillbur is a very friendly porcupine! Get to know our new prehensile-tailed porcupine in this Q&A with Small Mammal House keepers.
Is she or isn’t she? Excitement is in the air at Asia Trail, where the Zoo’s 5-year-old female sloth bear, Remi, may be expecting a cub! To monitor her for potential cub development, keepers are training Remi to voluntarily participate in ultrasounds. In this Q&A, animal keeper Stacey Tabellario...
In Myanmar, reptiles are rapidly disappearing but rescue facilities across the country, supported by the Turtle Survival Alliance, are working to save them. Reptile Discovery Center assistant curator Matt Evans traveled to these facilities to help his colleagues care for and reintroduce rare...
The Zoo's rambunctious 9-month-old gorilla has a fractured femur. Moke is resting and recovering with his parents, Calaya and Baraka, under the close watch of the animal care team.
The shutdown didn’t shutdown giant panda playtime! During the past three-and-a-half weeks Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and Bei Bei have carried on with their daily routines.
During the federal government shutdown from, Jan. 2 to Jan. 28, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s animal care team, almost all federal workers, reported to work and provided the same level of care for the Zoo’s animals as any other day. Read an overview of top...
During the government shutdown, from Jan. 2 to Jan. 28, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s animal care team, almost all federal workers, reported to work and provided the same level of care for the Zoo’s animals as any other day.
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is dedicated to saving species. Every year, its team of conservationists here and around the globe works hard to make that mission a reality — and 2018 was no exception.
