Reptiles have a rough exterior that make them seem like they don’t need a lot of very specific care. The reality is quite the opposite. […]

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Zombies have been part of popular culture for decades. The living dead rising and taking over the world is a terrifying concept, worthy of Hollywood […]

The post It’s science: zombies already walk among us appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Caitlin Burrell, research scientist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, returned from China last night April 20, with frozen giant panda semen that had been […]

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Salamanders are typically elusive animals and adept at hiding, but National Zoo visitors will have a chance to see a variety of different amphibian species […]

The post National Zoo Opens New Home for Appalachian Salamanders appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Most people think of black holes as giant vacuum cleaners sucking in everything that gets too close. But the supermassive black holes at the centers […]

The post Event Horizon Telescope Reveals Magnetic Fields at Milky Way’s Central Black Hole appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Bei Bei, Bao Bao, Tian Tian. Many people recognize the names of the giant pandas that reside at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Yet Juan Rodriguez […]

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Snowstorms and blizzards send people to raid supermarkets and prepare their homes for days of staying indoors, but how do the animals at the Smithsonian’s […]

The post What happens at the National Zoo when it snows? appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The National Zoo’s red panda habitat on Asia Trail reopened to the public Tuesday, May 10. Tusa and Asa explored their new home which has […]

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For the first time in 25 years, primate staff at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are celebrating the birth of a male Bornean orangutan. He was […]

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Two separate teams of scientists have identified major challenges for the development of life in what has recently become one of the most famous exoplanet […]

The post There’s more to extraterrestrial life than planets in “habitable zone” orbits appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Great Cats keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are celebrating the birth of a Sumatran tiger, a critically endangered species. The cub’s mother, 8-year-old Damai, […]

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Three former scientists from the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park–Ellen Lamirande, Don Nichols, and Allan Pessier–were honored at the sixth annual Golden Goose Award ceremony at […]

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People often use the words turtle and tortoise interchangeably, but these reptiles have distinct differences: Turtle shells are typically more flattened and not as deeply […]

The post Five fun turtle and tortoise facts from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Every queen deserves a castle, and the ruler of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s naked mole-rat colony is no different. After 27 years in a maze […]

The post Building a naked mole-rat dream home at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

When the heat and humidity of the Washington, D.C. summer sends its residents scrambling for air conditioning and iced coffee, the animal care specialists at […]

The post How do National Zoo animals beat the heat? Bloodsicles and other frozen delicacies appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A full 94 percent of the dead zones in the world’s oceans lie in regions expected to warm at least 2 degrees Celsius by the […]

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As you read here
In a 24-hour-period between July 9 and 10, 2009 a clouded leopard cub, a Przewalski's horse, and a red panda cub were all born at Smithsonian's National Zoo's Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia.

The post A clouded leopard cub, a Przewalski’s horse and a red panda cub were all recently born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Meet Our Scientist: National Zoo veterinarian Katharine Hope appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Keeper Tracey Barnes talks about Billie Jean, an Andean bear, and her two new cubs at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.

The post Keeper Tracey Barnes talks about the National Zoo’s Andean bear, Billie Jean, and her two new cubs appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Dr. JoGayle Howard of the Smithsonian's National Zoo discusses her work to breed and study one of the world's most endangered cats, the clouded leopard. More about the National Zoo's work to save clouded leopards: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/SCBI/ReproductiveScience/ConsEn...
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/support/annualappeal/cloudedleo... ... (more info)

The post Meet Our Scientist: Dr. JoGayle Howard of the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Researchers at the Smithsonian's National Zoo's new genetics lab use animal DNA to diagnose new diseases, discover new species help in conservation efforts and solve mysteries.

The post Scientists at a new National Zoo laboratory use DNA to diagnose illnesses and discover new species of animals appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

What does it take to care for a pride of lions? Go behind the scenes with Great Cats Curator Craig Saffoe as he works with animal keepers and veterinarians to prepare the National Zoo's frisky lion cubs for their public debut. For more about the Zoo's growing pride and to watch them on live webcams: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GreatCats/default.cfm?cam=LC4

The post Great Cats curator Craig Saffoe discusses his work caring for the National Zoo’s seven frisky lion cubs appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Learn about the National Zoo’s flamingo flock with keeper Sara Hallager appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The three male cheetahs that left the Zoo's D.C. campus in 2009 returned in November and are now on exhibit. The five-and-a-half-year-old brothers―Draco, Granger, and Zabini, named after characters in the Harry Potter stories―have been living at the Zoo's Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's Cheetah Science Facility in Front Royal, Virginia.

The post The three male cheetahs that left the National Zoo’s D.C. campus in 2009 returned in November and are now on exhibit appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Device at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center examines how phytoplankton would react if the ozone layer vanished appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

National Zoo Veterinarian Katharine Hope treats about 2,000 animals from 400 different species. She and her colleagues care for a variety of animals, from small baby flamingos to adult Asian elephants, so there's no such thing as an average day.

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Keepers at the Smithsonian's National Zoo perform an artificial insemination procedure on a pair of Stanley Cranes. A Stanley Crane chick was successfully hatched on May 23, 2011.

The post Bird keepers at the National Zoo demonstrate the art of artificially inseminating Stanley cranes appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

School's nearly back in session, but the seven young lions at the Smithsonian's National Zoo have been working hard through the summer months!

The post Lion cub summer school: Instead of learning their ABCs, the National Zoo’s lion cubs are learning behaviors that will help animal care staff evaluate their health. appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post National Zoo gorillas participate in heart disease study appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post With the recent hatching of two Cuban crocodiles, the National Zoo just got a little snappier! appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

If a supernova vaporized Earth’s ozone layer, what would happen to life in the ocean? Smithsonian biologist Pat Neale shows how UV rays could harm […]

The post If a supernova vaporized our ozone layer, what would happen to life on Earth? appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) gave birth to a cub at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C. at 5:32 p.m., Friday, Aug. 23. The […]

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The gates at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo re-opened to the public Friday, October 18! The live animal cams that were turned off during the government […]

The post National Zoo’s giant panda cub @ 8 weeks old appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The National Zoo’s Great Cats team celebrated the arrival of its first litter of African lion cubs in four years. On Jan. 24, the Zoo’s […]

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What is it like to be the curator of Great Cats at the National Zoo? We interviewed Craig Saffoe to hear firsthand.

The post What is it like to be curator of Great Cats at the National Zoo? appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

On Monday, June 23, Asian elephants Swarna, Maharani and Kumala finished their 30-day quarantine and made their public debut at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. This […]

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  In honor of its 125th anniversary, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo is once again home to American bison, the animal that began the Zoo’s living […]

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Each year, a mysterious group of night herons flock to Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Then, they vanish. In episode three of our series, we go behind […]

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When two red panda babies are born in critical condition at Smithsonian’s National Zoo, caretakers make the crucial decision to raise them by hand.

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Five critically endangered Cuban crocodiles hatched at the National Zoo’s Reptile Discovery Center between July 29 and Aug. 7. The eggs were laid by Dorothy, […]

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Now eight months old, Giant Panda Cub Bei Bei is learning to come when called and undergoing ‘target’ training to teach him to respond to […]

The post Training National Zoo Panda Cub Bei Bei appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

What’s an Asian small-clawed otter’s favorite enrichment toy? Anything it can get its paws on! This species’ dexterous, partially-webbed digits are adept at feeling for […]

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On the morning of Monday, Jan. 30, 2017 a 25-pound female bobcat cat was discovered missing from its exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in […]

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Ollie the bobcat, who escaped from her enclosure at the Smithsonian National Zoo, was found two days after her disappearance roaming near the zoo’s bird […]

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Jeopardy’s Clue Crew visits the Smithsonian’s National Zoo!

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The start of spring brought a cheetah cub boom to the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Front Royal, Va., where two large litters were […]

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As the world prepares to celebrate Global Tiger Day this Saturday, July 29, Great Cats keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo have some big news […]

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Ashkii, a North American river otter, at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park

The post Ashkii, a North American river otter, at the National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

On World Elephant Day–Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017–the Smithsonian’s National Zoo celebrated Ambika the elephant’s 70th birthday. Hear her keepers of more than 30 years talk […]

The post Celebrating Ambika’s 56 years at National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

 The zoo extends the collecting mission of the Smithsonian into the realm of the living. From the Series: Stories From the Vault: Random? http://bit.ly/2gfy5hO

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