Scientists at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s Center for Conservation Genomics conduct studies that use genetic methods and markers to help understand an animal’s behavior or ecology.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
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.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
Scurry into the Small Mammal House and get up close with animals like sand cats, golden lion tamarins and naked mole-rats.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
From the deepest trenches to the shallowest shores and across five basins, water circulates in one interconnected system: the world ocean. This World Ocean Day, discover how seemingly different animals — sessil coral and soaring seabirds — are connected to each other, to a changing climate and to ocean conservation.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
Meet the lemur leaf frog! These attractive amphibians—best known for their big, beautiful eyes—are critically endangered. The good news? Reptile Discovery Center keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are working to save them from extinction.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
There are only 135 Guam kingfishers in the world, but scientists around the world are working to change that by breeding the species for release in the near future.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
Why is it difficult to breed cheetahs in human care?
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
Elephant Trails is more than an exhibit; it is also an extensive conservation program built on decades of science. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s rich history of caring for and studying Asian elephants spans more than a century.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
In the midst of the pandemic, as the story goes, a team set out to bring swift foxes back to a land they had disappeared from more than 50 years ago. Learn more in this update from landscape ecologist Hila Shamon.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is committed to preserving Asian and African elephants—both in human care and in the wild. As part of this mission, the Zoo researches diseases that afflict elephants, such as the elephant herpesvirus, known as elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV). Researchers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo were the first to identify EEHV in 1995, following the death of our 16-month-old Asian elephant, Kumari, who was Shanthi’s first calf.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
