Semipalmated plovers are small, plump shorebirds with a short bill, long orangish legs, and a single black „necklace“ of feathers. They travel across North America each year to their remote sub-Arctic nesting grounds.
Fact Sheet Conservation Physical Description Semipalmated plovers have plumage
Find the answers to some of the most-searched questions about black-footed ferrets, North America’s only native ferret species!
These playful animals were once thought to be extinct but have made an incredible
, SCBI marine physiologist Mary Hagedorn and research assistant Virginia Carter have
Our newest litter of cheetah cubs are busy exploring… and they just got their first physical! Learn about caring for cubs in this update from carnivore biologist Adrienne Crosier.
You may have even seen a few cubs go into one of the Cheetah Cub Cam dens on their
The largest living land mammals, elephants are intelligent, social and vital to their ecosystems.
Elephants actually walk on their toes and have a thick, fibrous pad on the bottom
For four years, the Reptile Discovery Center’s Asian water dragon female lived alone. Then, while examining eggs as part of a study, animal keepers made a shocking discovery—one was fertile! How could a female lay a fertile egg without a mate? They turned to the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) for an answer to the mystery: parthenogenesis.
Miller: While biologists have documented cases of parthenogenesis in other species
Big bright eyes, bounding leaps and vivacious vocalizations—there’s no denying that lemurs are downright adorable! Every October, we celebrate World Lemur Day to raise awareness of these endangered primates from Madagascar. Meet our animal ambassadors—and learn how you can help their wild cousins—in this update from our Primate and Small Mammal House keepers.
Unlike the ring-tailed lemurs, however, they do not have a hierarchical structure
Painting with alpacas, training miniature donkeys and hosting hands-on animal encounters. It’s all in a day’s work for animal keepers Nikki Maticic and John Taylor! Follow their story for a behind-the-scenes look at a day in the life of a Kids’ Farm keeper.
Do they have any nasal discharge?
She’s spunky, engaging and loves eating bugs. Get to know this 10-year-old female sloth bear, the newest resident of the Zoo’s Asia Trail.
And as you might have already guessed, this 10-year-old female sloth bear is the
One of the world’s largest land tortoises, Aldabra tortoises can reach sizes of up to 550 pounds and ages of up to 150 years old. They are native to Aldabra Island, one of the Seychelles northeast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.
The males have a concave plastron (belly shell) that aids in mating.
