From flamingo courtships to weekly weigh-ins for the African lions, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo is buzzing with beastly activity behind the scenes!
These outings give Alice, who was hand-raised, a chance to socialize with keepers
A team of scientists and keepers is traveling all over the eastern United States this year to study a unique and amazing animal: the hellbender.
didn’t have an iron but thought he could help us fix it with some tools he had on hand
Long-billed curlew are shorebirds that spend their summers breeding in the grasslands of Montana. Smithsonian ecologists are equipping them with GPS trackers to learn more about their movements.
Image: With hand motions, they direct us left and right to make sure the net will
In March and April, keepers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, celebrated the arrival of two male kiwi chicks! Get to know them in this update from the bird team.
Maori, on the other hand, is more relaxed in their presence.
Giant pandas Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and Xiao Qi Ji are settling in nicely in their new home at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda’s ShenShuPing Campus.
He rubbed his head on the mesh near my hand before continuing to investigate his
Playing, foraging, training and snoozing—it’s all in a day in the life of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s western lowland gorilla troop!
Using verbal cues and hand signals, we ask our apes to present their body parts.
There’s no better way to celebrate World Gorilla Day than with our adorable animal ambassador, Zahra! Keeper Lynne McMahan shares some of her favorite moments in this Q+A.
Even when we try to hand her bits of food, Calaya swoops in and takes it first.
One of the exciting challenges Bird House keepers have had to tackle during construction is how to help our birds feel “at home” even though they are living in temporary housing. The solution: bring the outdoors indoors!
Our Stanley crane, Alice, was hand-raised by keepers and has a fondness for people
Get up close to the animals of the Amazon, including turtles, sting rays, arapaima and roseate spoonbills. Or, see cutting-edge Zoo science at Amphibian Alert and the Coral Lab.
The Seal Rock Café (open seasonally) offers hand-dipped ice cream and other sweet
Happy national panda day! Here at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Asia Trail exhibit, we are celebrating with giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, as well as our red panda pair, Asa and Jackie.
When we give Jackie the hand signal to “stand up,” we examine his belly for any lumps
