A Call to Save the Whooping Crane
Smithsonian researchers join an international effort to bring the five-foot-tall bird back from the brink of extinction
November 2011 |
By Megan Gambino
What Animal is the Best Mother?
Cheetahs and gorillas have some of the strongest maternal instincts, according to a National Zoo biologist
May 04, 2011 |
By Megan Gambino
A Puffin Comeback
Atlantic puffins had nearly vanished from the Maine coast until a young biologist defied conventional wisdom to lure them home
June 2010 |
By Michelle Nijhuis
Breeding the Perfect Bull
A Texas cattleman used genetic science to breed his masterpiece – a near-perfect Red Angus bull. Then nature took its course
April 2010 |
By Jeanne Marie Laskas
A Coral Reef's Mass Spawning
Understanding how corals reproduce is critical to their survival; Smithsonian's Nancy Knowlton investigates the annual event
December 2009 |
By Megan Gambino
Penguin Dispatch 4: How to Study a Penguin Egg
Females guard their eggs closely, so scientists must tread carefully when temporarily extracting the eggs for research
June 04, 2009 |
By Eric Wagner
Penguin Dispatch 5: Picking the Cutest Newborn Chick
By late-November, many eggs are hatching and cute, tennis-ball sized grey chicks emerge, begging for food from their parents
June 04, 2009 |
By Eric Wagner
Penguin Dispatch 6: The First Trip into the Ocean
Only two months into their lives, the chicks, with their now stronger flippers, take their first dive from the water’s edge
June 04, 2009 |
By Eric Wagner
National Zoo Celebrates Birth of Rare Clouded Leopards
Notoriously difficult to breed, two new clouded leopards are born at the National Zoo’s research facility
March 25, 2009 |
By Cristina Santiestevan
The Curious Do's and Don'ts of Insect Dating Behavior
Bugs tap, dance and buzz to attract their mates—and some get eaten
February 12, 2009 |
By Abigail Tucker
Family of Man's Special Delivery
It took three generations to produce Wayne F. Miller's photograph of his newborn son
February 2009 |
By Owen Edwards
Return of the Beasts
Elephant seals descend on California beaches for breeding season
March 17, 2008 |
By Andrew Curry
Big Love
In a mating ritual, male humpback whales leap, splash and fight. But researchers ask: just what does a female whale want?
February 2008 |
By Virginia Morell
Wiseguys with Wings
"Mafia" cowbirds muscle warblers into raising their young
March 01, 2007 |
By Eric Jaffe
Learning from Tai Shan
The giant panda born at Washington, D.C.'s National Zoo has charmed animal lovers. Now he's teaching scientists more than they had expected
June 2006 |
By Laura Tangley
