Two mysterious and secretive residents recently arrived at the Reptile Discovery Center: Iranian fat-tailed geckos! Get the scoop on this rad brother-sister duo from animal keeper Sara Hasenstab.
Other geckos do not have eyelids, so they can’t blink!
Listen up! Rosalie’s now 7-week-old cubs are feisty, playful and healthy. Keepers even captured a video of one cub up-close to the fence, chirping. Read on to learn to speak cheetah and get the latest scoop on these cubs!
They have a lot more energy and confidence now – with us and each other.
We are sad to share that Betty, our “matriarch” flamingo, was found deceased in her habitat Jan. 25. At 67 years old, she was the oldest Caribbean flamingo in the North American population.
ready to hatch, they return the egg to the nesting grounds and give it to pairs who have
There are 30 species of plated lizards, and the African plated lizard (also called the giant plated lizard) is one of the largest. It has a squat body, plate-like scales and powerful legs.
They have thick bodies and powerful legs, which aid in both speed and digging.
The Zoo’s 4-month-old North American river otter pups are gaining confidence and exploring their habitat on American Trail, says animal keeper Jackie Spicer.
Our 4 month-old North American river otter pups Coquille, Potomac and Nash have been
Always free of charge, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo is one of Washington D.C.’s, and the Smithsonian’s, most popular tourist destinations, with more than 2 million visitors from all over the world each year. The Zoo instills a lifelong commitment to conservation through engaging experiences with animals and the people working to save them.
If you’re a panda fan or if you know a panda fan—we have the perfect Valentine’s
What animal can rotate its head 180 degrees, has ears that function like satellites and marks its territory (and members of its social group) with urine? Meet our southern lesser galago brothers, Mopani and Damara!
The pair arrived in February and have settled into their new digs at the Small Mammal
Guinea pigs are rodents that were first domesticated in 5,000 B.C. The domesticated species, Cavia porcellus, is most likely derived from the Andean Cavia tschudii (or montane guinea pig), found in Peru, highland Bolivia, northwestern Argentina, and northeastern Chile.
Guinea pigs have no tails.
The secret to salamanders’ survival may be in their slimy secretions. Scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute are swabbing salamanders in Shenandoah, looking for disease-fighting microbes that live in the mucus on their skin.
susceptible to chytrid, while others may come into contact with the fungus and have
The ruddy turnstone is a short legged, chunky sandpiper with an extensive wintering range. Turnstones are known for sticking their bills under stones, pebbles and shells, and flipping them over to find food.
Nonbreeding adults have a brown feather pattern.
