January 24 and March 2 mark our African lion cubs first birthdays! Animal keepers Kristen Clark and Rebecca Stites reveal what’s new with the cubs in the latest Q&A!
Image: How have the cubs‘ personalities developed?
Green tree pythons are named for their vibrant green color. These nonvenomous snakes and found in the tropical rainforests of New Guinea, eastern Indonesia, and the northeast Cape York Peninsula of Australia.
Fact Sheet Conservation Physical Description Green tree pythons have diamond
Now more than ever, raising awareness about the plight of migratory birds is key to their survival. At the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, we are in the midst of completely transforming our beloved Bird House from its humble foundation (circa 1928) into a celebration of birds and their amazing annual journeys.
House closed to visitors in 2018, our animal keepers, nutritionists and scientists have
Crash into May with black rhinos! Dr. Francesca Vitali is a wildlife veterinarian and Morris Animal Foundation postdoctoral fellow with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Global Health Program. She is currently working with our Smithsonian partners in Kenya to help conserve Eastern black rhino populations.
Rhinos have been on this planet for about 60 million years.
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.
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.
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
