News Archive

For the first time in more than 20 years, tiny lion paws are making a mark at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Early this morning 6-year-old lion Nababiep gave birth to one cub, adding another member to the lion pride the Zoo has carefully worked to build over the past year. “This is a historic...

One week and nearly 5,000 votes after the Smithsonian’s National Zoo opened the online polls to the public to name its male and female Andean bear cubs the Zoo has two winners: Chaska, pronounced Chas'-kuh, for the female and Bernardo for the male! Animal keepers and the embassies of Peru and...

One of the loudest birds that we hear in our yards is also one of the smallest. The tiny house wren weighs only 11 grams, about the same as 2 quarters, and is a mere 4 inches long. With its small size and unassuming coloration it is an easy bird to overlook, but the male's frequent bouts of...

By Kenton Kerns, Small Mammal House Keeper at the National Zoo It’s February 24, 2010, and I am riding up and down Brazil 101, a major thoroughfare highway between Rio de Janeiro and other Brazilian cities to the north. It’s my 12th day in Brazil and I’ve come here to learn about golden lion tamarin...

As a disease known as amphibian chytrid fungus continues to wipe out amphibian species worldwide, frogs in Panama are finding a safe haven in a seemingly unlikely spot—between the metal walls of shipping containers once used to transport ice cream, strawberries, coffee beans, flowers and...

Two weeks and 7,050 votes after the Smithsonian’s National Zoo opened the online polls to the public to name its new giant Pacific octopus ( Enteroctopus dofleini), one choice has emerged as the clear victor: Octavius. “Octavius the Octopus” is more than just a pretty, alliterative name. The prefix...

Following a final ultrasound and hormone analysis, staff at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo confirmed late yesterday (Tuesday, April 27) that female giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) is not pregnant but was experiencing a pseudo, or false, pregnancy during the past several months. National Zoo...

Scientists at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo detected a secondary rise in urinary progestagen levels in the Zoo’s female giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) March 30. This hormone rise indicates that it should be 40 to 50 days before Mei Xiang either gives birth to a cub or comes to the end of a...

A 24-hour pregnancy watch of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s female giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) is slated to begin today at 4 p.m. A corps of more than 40 Friends of the National Zoo volunteers and animal care staff will closely monitor the panda for maternal behaviors through keeper...

Shade-grown, Bird Friendly coffee is now available in five museum locations at the Smithsonian.

By Stephen Schulze, Keeper at the National Zoo’s Small Mammal House Bustard populations across the world are in decline, including those of kori bustards, the heaviest of all flighted species of bird. This past autumn, I was privileged to join a National Zoo team that travelled to Kenya to continue...

One of the world’s most endangered species—a brown kiwi Apteryx mantelli—hatched at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Bird House, early Tuesday morning, March 30. Keepers have been carefully monitoring the egg’s progress since it was laid January 19. Keepers looked for signs of pipping: the process...

It is a natural explorer in the wild and seems to have an impressive memory. It has eight arms, no spine and its very own Web cam. That is how the National Zoo describes its new giant Pacific octopus ( Enteroctopus dofleini), which has been making a name for itself over the past few weeks. The only...

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s rare male clouded leopards Ta Moon (“mischievous child”) and Sa Ming (“brave warrior”) are one year old today! Ta Moon and Sa Ming were born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., March 24, 2009. The leopards were served “birthday...

The ensemble of animal noises at the National Zoo will hopefully include the tiny roar of lion cubs this spring. The Zoo is attempting to build a breeding lion pride for the first time in more than 20 years, both to simulate more natural conditions for the most social of the great cats and to help...

Does your child’s teddy bear need a checkup? Families with preschool and elementary school-age children can talk to veterinarians, scale rock-climbing walls, enjoy live entertainment, feast on kid-friendly treats and much more at the National Zoo’s 16th Annual Guppy Gala sponsored by...

Organized by Friends of the National Zoo, the Science Fair is part of the Zoo’s ongoing commitment to education. About 20 seventh-grade students from Jefferson Middle School and Capital City Public Charter School will exhibit their projects, which are based on the National Zoo’s research, animals...

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Friends of the National Zoo will continue a Washington tradition that spans more than 100 years by hosting “Easter Monday: An African American Family Tradition” April 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is free and will take place rain or shine. This year’s...

By Mike Henley, Invertebrate Exhibit Keeper at the National Zoo For the past three years, I have been traveling to the west coast of Puerto Rico—just outside of Rincon—accompanied by aquarists and marine scientists from the Smithsonian, University of Houston, Shedd Aquarium, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo...

At a mere three pounds, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s new giant Pacific octopus ( Enteroctopus dofleini) doesn’t appear to have earned its name. Yet not only will it grow to be more than 13 times its current size over the next year, it will also play a big role in teaching researchers and...

Understanding how to save an animal species from dying out may depend, in part, on understanding the many unique processes that lead to birth. That is why researchers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are looking beyond the lab rat to learn about how other animals reproduce—and urging the rest of...

On February 22, Kigali—the National Zoo’s 15-year-old female western lowland gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla gorilla)—successfully underwent dental surgery for a fractured tooth. “Tooth cracks are somewhat common in animals and humans alike,” explains Dr. Suzan Murray, Chief Veterinarian and Head of the...

A clouded leopard at the Smithsonian's National Zoo’s campus in Front Royal, Va., gave birth to a genetically valuable litter of two cubs on Valentine’s Day—Sunday, Feb. 14. Staff had been on a pregnancy watch of the 3 1/2-year-old clouded leopard Jao Chu (JOW-chew) for four days. Jao Chu gave birth...

Love is in the air at the Small Mammal House at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo this Valentine’s Day weekend. Keepers helped set “the mood” for their animal friends, doling out hand-crafted valentines and heart-shaped treasures unlike anything from any greeting card company or chocolatier. These...

Tai Shan, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo's beloved 4 ½-year-old giant panda, has arrived safely to his new home at Wolong’s Bifengxia Base in Ya’an, Sichuan. The 184-pound panda arrived at 4:26 p.m. local time in Chengdu on Feb. 5, 2010. On Feb. 4, Tai Shan’s 15-hour non-stop flight departed Dulles...