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One of the ceremonial double ikat textiles acquired by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art in 2024

At the Smithsonian

Eleven Fascinating Acquisitions That Joined the Smithsonian’s Vast Collections in 2024

This year, the Institution collected everything from the stunning shell of an extinct cephalopod to a Blue Origin rocket booster

Qing Bao, a 3-year-old female, is one of two giant pandas making the long journey from China to Washington, D.C. 

Smart News

The Smithsonian National Zoo’s New Giant Pandas Will Make Their Public Debut on January 24

A pair of 3-year-old giant pandas—a male named Bao Li and a female called Qing Bao—have officially arrived at the Zoo, where they will first acclimate to their new home

Yun Chuan is "serious about his bamboo but mild-mannered toward others," according to the San Diego Zoo.

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Two Pandas Arrive at the San Diego Zoo, the First to Enter the U.S. in 21 Years

For months, the only pandas in the country had been in Atlanta. Next, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., are expected to also receive pandas this year

Bao Li, a 2-year-old male, is the son of Bao Bao, who was born at the Zoo in 2013.

At the Smithsonian

Giant Pandas Are Coming Back to Washington, D.C.

A pair of the bears will arrive at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo by the end of 2024

Mei Xiang and Tian Tian are two of the giant pandas who lived at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in recent years. They were returned to China in November 2023.

Smart News

More Giant Pandas Are Coming to the U.S. in a New Loan From China

China plans to send a male and a female panda to the San Diego Zoo as early as this summer, and negotiations are underway for pandas’ possible return to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

Xiao Qi Ji (pictured) and his parents, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, are leaving Washington, D.C. on November 8.

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The National Zoo’s Giant Pandas Bid Washington, D.C. Farewell

The three beloved bears will depart for China later today, traveling in style on a FedEx cargo plane

Mei Xiang and Tian Tian on December 6, 2000, the day of their arrival in Washington, D.C.

At the Smithsonian

Revisit 51 Years of Giant Pandas at the National Zoo, From Beloved Babies to Fun in the Snow

The Panda House’s eight occupants have played a key role in conservation efforts over the decades

Tian Tian playing in the snow. Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and their son Xiao Qi Ji will return to China by December 7.

Smart News

Why the National Zoo Is Saying Goodbye to Its Giant Pandas

Staff remain hopeful that members of the threatened species will be back in Washington in the near future

The remains likely belong to a Qinling panda rather than a Sichuan panda. Pictured: Qi Zai, a Qinling panda born in captivity

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Fully Intact Giant Panda Skeleton Discovered in Chinese Emperor’s 2,000-Year-Old Tomb

Archaeologists previously found a panda skull in a nearby Han burial, but its torso was missing

An illustration of A. nikolovi 

Smart News

These Extinct Pandas Once Roamed Bulgaria

The bears are a close relative of today’s giant pandas and likely ate soft plant materials, not bamboo

Learn More About the Species

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Giant Panda Mating Calls Say a Lot About Them

Panda love grunts are packed with information, like size of the potential mate and more, but long distance calls are less reliable

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Pandas Weren't Always Picky Eaters

A new study suggests the all-bamboo diet was adopted in the recent past, not millions of years ago

Smart News

Panda Habitat Is Severely Fragmented, Placing Pandas at Risk

Despite recent habitat improvements, roads and development are isolating panda populations

People and Pandas

History

How America Fell in Love With the Giant Panda

A French missionary, Teddy Roosevelt’s sons, and a widowed socialite all factor into the tale of how the nation fell in love with the rare beast

At the Smithsonian

How to FedEx a Giant Panda

On February 21, the United States says #ByeByeBaoBao

Science

Why Photographing Pandas Is More Challenging Than You Might Think

Photojournalist Ami Vitale describes her years of work capturing the lovable furballs

At the Smithsonian

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