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
Let’s play a game…for science! With a tap of the touch-screen computer, orangutans at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo try their memories at matching pictures. These games help scientists study the apes’ metacognition.
For example, orangutans have to try to remember where food is located.
In a darkened, red-lit area of the Small Mammal House, two small, nocturnal primates explore their habitats. Naga and Pabu are the first pygmy slow lorises housed at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Get the full scoop from keepers Kara Ingraham and Ann Gutowski in this Q+A.
Pygmy slow lorises have highly specialized diets that are difficult to replicate
Reaching up to 10 feet (3 meters) long, arapaima are the largest freshwater fish in South America. Learn what else makes these animals unique.
These massive fish have a distinctive feeding strategy—they “vacuum” their meals
Japanese giant salamanders are the second-largest salamander species in the world. These long-lived amphibians lurk in Japan’s rocky, fast-flowing streams.
Some appear quite dark, while others have lighter patches of browns.
A supersized salamander recently debuted at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Reptile Discovery Center. Get the scoop on these freshwater giants from keeper Kyle Miller.
Japanese giant salamanders breathe through their skin, have impossibly small eyes
Waddle along with Small Mammal House Curator and African Penguin Species Survival Plan coordinator, Steven J. Sarro, as he shares his experiences working with zoos and penguins!
These programs ensure that we have the best genetically diverse populations of each
After more than 30 years of studying clouded leopards, Zoo scientists have solved
Can sloth swim? What do they eat? And why are they so slow? Impress your friends and ace your next online quiz with these fun facts about sloths to celebrate International Sloth Day on Oct. 20.
But these social media darlings have been around far longer than the internet.
The endangered, long-tailed chinchilla is a medium-sized rodent with famously thick, beautiful fur. It is a social, matriarchal animal native to the Andes mountain range.
They have broad heads, large external ears, large black eyes with a vertical split
