Wildlife

Here's How the Strongest Insect on the Planet Fights

Hercules beetles, as their name suggests, are immensely strong for their size

The Extraordinary Life Cycle of a Hornet Colony

After a hornet queen lays hundreds of eggs, her workers set about feeding the larvae chewed-up prey. With tiny waists, the workers can't digest solid food

On October 8, 2013, panda cub Bao Bao is examined by Zoo staff Juan Rodriguez and Brandie Smith.

Pandamonium

It’s Easy to Fall in Love With a Panda. But Do They Love Us Back?

Keepers admire them, but have no illusions. Pandas are solitary creatures

Panamanian golden frog (Atelopus zeteki)

Here's Why You Should Never Kiss a Toad

A scientist at Smithsonian's Tropical Research Institute helped catalog everything known about toxins in the skins of endangered frogs and toads

The Hagfish Is the Slimy Sea Creature of Your Nightmares

The hagfish is a slime-emitting ocean-dweller that's remained unchanged for 300 million years--and it shows. It has a skull (but no spine)

How Vampire Bats Suck Blood for 30 Minutes Unnoticed

Thanks to a local anesthetic in their spit, vampire bats are able to drink blood from their prey without being detected

Meet the Echidna, an Incredible, Fire-Proof Spiny Anteater

The echidna, or spiny anteater, is a marvel of defensive self-preservation, from its impenetrable spikes to its ability to breathe through bushfires

Gotcha! A frog's tongue can be five times faster than the blink of a human eye.

New Research

Inside Every Frog's Mouth Is a Sticky, Grabby Bullet

Investigating frog tongues—and some human ones!—in the name of science

A Coconut Octopus Uses Tools to Snatch a Crab

Coconut octopuses are among the most intelligent invertebrates around: They use tools, carry their shelters around for when they need them

From top left: (A and B) The new species Pylopaguropsis mollymullerae in Bonaire; (C and E) the new species in a den with a broad banded moray (D) the new species' coral ledge habitat.

Smithsonian Scientist and a Reef-Diving Grandmother Team Up in Discovery of New Hermit Crab

A new species of hermit crab is named to honor her 7-year-old granddaughter Molly

The Carnivorous Plant That Feasts on Mice

While the carnivorous cravings of most flesh-eating plants are limited to small insects, one exception is the pitcher plant

“No, we don't cuddle the seals,” says the Zoo's Rebecca Sturniolo says. “As cute and cuddly as they are, they are pretty feisty."

The Zoo's Baby Seal Is Cute and Cuddly, But Don't Be Fooled

The National Zoo's seal-breeding program has another gray seal pup success

A Puff Adder Swallowing a Rat Is Something You Can't Unsee

A puff adder has just bitten a rat, injecting it with enough venom to finish it off. The next step is to swallow it whole

Like most innovations in science, the study of whale earwax—a.k.a. earplugs—as oceanic core samples came about by asking a question no one had thought to ask.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

For Scientists, Chunks of Whale Earwax Can Be Biological Treasure Troves

Biologists are waxing poetic about these unusual oceanic core samples found in the ears of cetaceans

Komodo Dragons Can Taste Their Prey From Miles Away

A Komodo dragon's strongest sensory organ is its deeply forked tongue. It acts as a meal detector that samples the air for dead or dying animals

Incredible: A Gaboon Viper Strikes a Bird in Slo-Mo

Gaboon vipers don't have the fastest strike in the snake world--but they don't need to be faster than other snakes, just their prey

The Strange Link Between Bats and Tequila

As a nectar feeder, the lesser long-nosed bat follows the trail of cactus blooms between Mexico and the U.S.

As his ancestors have done for generations, Icelander Árni Hilmarsson catches an Atlantic puffin in a net called a háfur.

Disappearing Puffins Bring an Icelandic Hunting Tradition Under Scrutiny

Historically, hunting seabirds has been a distinctive feature of Nordic coastal culture. Should it still be?

What Can a Puff Adder Snake Bite Do to a Rhino?

A puff adder's bite can do serious damage, even to an animal with skin as thick as a rhino's. The photographic evidence we have is not pretty

Here's What Makes Komodo Dragons So Powerful

Not only is the Komodo dragon the largest lizard in the world, its powerful claws, tail, and bite make it one of the deadliest

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