National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Snake-necked turtle hatchling crawling over leaf

These Teeny, Tiny Turtle Hatchlings Fit in the Palm of Your Hand

The Zoo welcomed four snake-necked turtle hatchlings in October 2021

Close-up of giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji in a tree with his tongue sticking out

Watch Giant Panda Xiao Qi Ji’s Best Moments of 2021

How do you measure a year of giant panda cub cuteness?

Giant panda Xiao Qi Ji upside-down in a hammock

Watch: 10 Animal Videos That Topped Our List in 2021

Look back on a year of animal antics and conservation stories

Ring-tailed lemur standing on wooden platform with a flower

Stink Fights and Two Tongues? 5 Surprising Facts About Lemurs

Get the lowdown on lemurs from a primate keeper

In the eastern part of North America, purple martins rarely use natural nest cavities. Instead, they rely on artificial “condominiums” and groups of plastic gourds hung by bird enthusiasts.

Purple Martin ‘Landlords’ Manage a Different Kind of Tenant

Every year, bird enthusiasts hang groups of plastic gourds for purple martins to nest in

As we prepare to celebrate giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji’s first birthday Aug. 21, take a look back at his top 12 milestones that left panda fans around the world in awe and

Watch Our Favorite Videos from Giant Panda Cub Xiao Qi Ji's First Year

Celebrate Xiao Qi Ji's Birthday With a Look Back at His First Year

Bald eagles are native to the United States, but caring for them is a unique and rare opportunity. Every bald eagle in human care, including Annie pictured here, is a rescue.

Meet Rescued Bald Eagles Tioga and Annie

Every bald eagle in human care is a rescue

Western lowland gorilla Moke eating a snack

The Science Behind Animal Snacks

Meals to please the palates of giant pandas, flamingos and fishing cats

The cassowary's helmet-like casque is made of keratin, the same material that makes up our hair and fingernails.

Meet Cassowary Brothers Irwin and Dundee, Descendants of Dinosaurs

Cassowaries are considered to be the dinosaurs’ closest living relative

This 17-year Brood X cicada nymph is one step away from adulthood. After emerging from the dirt, cicadas typically crawl up the base of a tree to complete their final molt, expand their wings and fly away.

Cicada Snacks: The Wild (and Tasty) Side of Brood X at the Zoo

What will animals think of the impending bug buffet?

This leaf-tailed gecko hatchling receives his medication from a syringe, which he laps up with his impressive tongue.

How Do You Give Medicine to Zoo Animals?

Learn how zookeepers give medicine to animals, from salamanders to siamangs and everything in between.

Western lowland gorilla Baraka forages in the outdoor gorilla habitat at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. The silverback takes mealtime seriously, say his keepers.

How Do You Help a Gorilla With a Toothache?

Western lowland gorilla Baraka is serious about food. When keepers noticed he wasn't eating, they wondered if his change in appetite masked something more serious.

A female ruby-throated hummingbird sips nectar from a flower.

How Do You Weigh a Hummingbird?

See Spot. He's a small ruby-throated hummingbird with a big personality. He's also super smart and has mastered scale training.

January was a month full of firsts for giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji. The growing bear played with enrichment toys, took his first bites of sweet potato and bamboo, and had his first encounter with snow!

January's Best Giant Panda Moments—In Video

January was a month full of firsts for giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji. The growing bear played with enrichment toys, took his first bites of sweet potato and bamboo, and had his first encounter with snow!

Reptile keepers are warming up to a new monitor lizard this winter, a young Komodo dragon named Onyx.

Caring for Komodo Dragons, the World's Largest Lizards

The Smithsonian's National Zoo is warming up to a new monitor lizard this winter, a young Komodo dragon named Onyx. Reptile keepers have been working with these lizards for decades, including raising and training the Zoo's 22-year-old Komodo dragon Murphy.

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.

How Tribes and Conservation Partners are Bringing Swift Foxes Back to Their Historic Range

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.

A cheetah cub at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia.

8 Aww-Inspiring Videos of the Year's Best Animal and Conservation Stories

From a litter of chirping cheetahs and the birth of a lovable giant panda cub to groundbreaking coral reef research and new strides in animal care, there were many milestones to celebrate this year.

A sanderling, Aldrin, is one of the shorebirds being cared for by the Smithsonian's National Zoo's Bird House team.

Is the Secret to Saving Migratory Birds in the Meal Prep?

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo has many beaks to feed, including 23 species of migratory birds. Find out how keepers and nutritionists help individual animals stay physically fit and healthy, even as their physiology changes naturally with the seasons.

Tasi is a 4-year-old Guam rail and a marvel, considering that just a few decades ago his species nearly disappeared.

Meet Tasi, a Little Bird with a Big Purpose

We care for many rare and endangered species here at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, including a little brown bird named Tasi. Tasi is a 4-year-old Guam rail and a marvel, considering that just a few decades ago his species nearly disappeared.

This young Hartmann's mountain zebra colt, born in July 2020, was a first for the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

Our 3-month-old Zebra Colt is Earning His Stripes, One Butterfly and Biscuit at a Time

Our playful Hartmann's mountain zebra colt is a bundle of energy! Find out how the young colt spent his summer in this update from ungulate keeper Tara Buk.

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