The spotted turtle is a small species of turtle found near ponds, swamps and streamside habitats in the eastern United States and lower Canada. They are recognizable for the yellow polka-dot pattern covering their bodies.
They are found along the eastern United States (including Maryland, Virginia, and West
By Stephen Schulze, Keeper at the National Zoo’s Small Mammal House
Our mission was to conduct a biomedical survey, briefly trapping wild koris in order
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.
Our 3.5-month-old western lowland gorilla infant is on the move, riding on mom Calaya
True to its name, the long-tailed salamander’s tail takes up more than half of its body length. These salamanders are found along the eastern United States where they live in creek beds, caves, streams and ponds.
Long-tailed salamanders range from southern New York, south to northern Alabama and west
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute began as the dream of William Temple Hornaday.
During a trip to the western United States in 1886, he was shocked and troubled by
Black-footed ferrets, North America’s only native ferret species, were thought to have gone extinct in 1979. On Sept. 26, 1981, a black-footed ferret was discovered on the Wyoming prairie. From that unlikely occurrence, an entire species began its comeback — one of the most remarkable conservation stories on Earth. In honor of the 40th anniversary of the discovery of the last black-footed ferret colony, here are five of this miraculous species’ momentous conservation milestones.
Ferrets Taken into Human Care For several years, biologists monitored the last wild
Collared brown lemurs are found in southeastern Madagascar and are named for the collars of reddish-brown fur around their necks.
Lifespan Collared brown lemurs live 20-25 years in the wild.
We rounded up the animal antics and species conservation stories that made us laugh, smile and cheer in 2021. Take a look back at some of our favorite moments caught on video.
Screaming hairy armadillo Sherman goes wild for enrichment Sherman the screaming
Flatail characins, also called kissing prochilodus, have silver bodies and colorful fins. They live in the Amazonia River system.
Native Habitat Flagtail characin can be found in central and western Amazonian tributary
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.
This summer has been eventful for our youngest western lowland gorilla, Zahra, who
