As 2019 comes to a close, we’re continuing to reflect on some of this year’s biggest conservation success stories.
We have an opportunity to take action on behalf of birds, and together, we can help
Focus on the Future is a series that seeks to highlight the early career scientists who conduct research at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Learn about undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral fellows, and the conservation research they are supporting through first-hand accounts and stories.
& Conservation Biology Institute If someone had told me 10 years ago, I would have
A recent paper by Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientists with the Center for Species Survival found that salamanders were larger in warmer parts of their range. The scientists also found that that body size increased significantly in places where the climate had become hotter and drier.
They have thrived in the cool, temperate climate of the Appalachian Mountains, making
What’s black, white and adorable all over? Our new Hartmann’s mountain zebra colt! Born July 2 at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, he already is melting our ungulate team’s hearts with his playfulness and curiosity. Get to know him in this Q+A with SCBI animal keepers Morgan Vance and Tara Buk.
Even through the colt is primarily consuming milk at this time, we have started to
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.
National Zoological Park’s Janine Brown and a team of collaborators have just completed
There’s plenty to see this summer at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Check out five amazing things you won’t want to miss during your next visit.
transition from their behind-the-scenes cubbing den to the outdoor yards, where they have
Scientists identify best practices for reintroduction of endangered and extinct amphibians in a new publication.
limosus has been threatened by the deadly chytrid fungus, which is believed to have
This eye-catching shorebird is native to the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the Americas. True to its name, the American oystercatcher feeds on oysters, saltwater mollusks, shellfish and other marine invertebrates, using its thick red bill to jab at shelled prey and pluck the contents from within.
Adults have long, thick, pointed beaks that are reddish-orange in color.
It looks like the angriest housecat you’ve ever seen, but it’s actually the Pallas’s cat: a small Asian wildcat known for its thick fur and unusual face.
Pallas’s cats have the densest fur of any cat in the world.
Put your senses to the test at the Claws and Paws Pathway! Follow your nose to the binturongs, who smell like buttered popcorn, and keep your eyes peeled for petite Pallas’s cats hiding in plain sight. Get the scoop on the Zoo’s newest residents from curator Craig Saffoe.
The pair have been together for years, but they have never reproduced.
