Aldabra tortoises may be slow and steady, but they are also full of surprises! Did you know that they can live to be more than 150 years old, or that their shells are sensitive to the touch? Get to know these gentle giant from Reptile Discovery Center keeper Matt Neff.
They could have been much older, though.
The North American river otter is the most abundant otter species, but surprisingly little is known about its life in the wild. These otters are frequently observed playing and sliding together.
These otters have brown-to-gray fur, and their undersides are a lighter, silvery
This update was written by animal keeper Erin Stromberg.
Usually, when animal care staff have a recommendation for animals to breed or not
Larger Malay mouse-deer, also called chevrotains, are one of the smallest living hoofed mammals. These nocturnal ungulates are typically found in south and southeast Asia.
Unlike many of their relatives, they do not have horns or antlers, but males do have
Enjoy these 50 facts about giant pandas in honor of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Giant Panda 50th Anniversary Celebration.
Scientists and conservationists have worked to restore the giant panda’s habitat
This Amphibian Week, take a closer look at what makes these species so wonderfully weird and worthy of our attention.
From frogs and toads to newts, salamanders and caecilians, amphibians have some of
Try not to get ’swamped‘ with these bite-sized facts about American alligators and their crocodilian cousins.
Crocodiles have long, thin snouts with pointy, V-shaped ends.
In fact, we don’t have any relocation recommendations for the youngsters just yet
Poison frogs, also called poison arrow and poison dart frogs, are the most brightly colored frogs in the world. They live in wet, tropical forests in Central and South America where their diet contributes to the toxins they secrete through their skin.
Poison frogs are known for their beautiful colors, and amphibians that have toxic
When animal keepers introduced Andean bears Billie Jean and Quito earlier this spring, it seemed that love was in the air. Or, was it hormones? To discover how hormones can affect a bear’s behavior during breeding season, keeper Sara Colandrea has teamed up with Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute research fellow Natalia Prado. Together, they hope to crack the code of Andean bear reproduction and help other zoos produce bouncing baby bears.
Since 2005, only nine cubs have been born and survived to adulthood in the North
