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Zoology

The discovery of new species is driven by new technologies, targeted surveys of little-studied ecosystems and a determined effort to identify plants and animals before their habitat is lost. The kipunji is one of 300 mammal species discovered in the past decade; it is thought to be Africa’s rarest monkey.

Meet the New Species

From old-world primates to patch-nosed salamanders, new creatures are being discovered every day

A view upriver on the lower Congo River.

Evolution in the Deepest River in the World

New species are born in the turbulence of the Congo River

A family of black-tailed prairie dogs practices their vigilance from their colony in Highlands Ranch.

Denver’s Street-Smart Prairie Dogs

Researchers explore why members of one species are thriving in urban areas while rural populations dwindle

Smithsonian Secretary G. Wayne Clough travels to Nairobi, Kenya to understand the research programs and opportunities at the Mpala Research Centre.

Day 1: Seeing Kenya from the Sky

Despite many travel delays, Smithsonian Secretary Clough arrives in Kenya ready to study the African wildlife at the Mpala Ranch

The Zoo’s three pandas, here Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, require a constant supply of bamboo, a plant that is not very nutritious, especially for animals, like pandas, that are natural carnivores.

Feeding the Animals at the National Zoo

After hiring the first animal nutritionist 30 years ago, the National Zoo prepares specific, well-balanced meals for each animal

Dr. Murray operates on one of the Zoo’s gorillas.

On the Job: Zoo Veterinarian

Suzan Murray talks about making house calls at the nation’s zoo

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Hatching a New Idea

Electronic eggs hatch new insights into breeding exotic birds at the National Zoo

May 6, 2006: Barbaro, with Edgar Prado aboard, nears the finish of the Kentucky Derby. He won the "Run for the Roses" by six and a half lengths, the largest margin in 60 years.

Barbaro’s Legacy

The effort to save the fallen champion shows how far equine medicine has come in recent years. And how far it still has to go

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Mirror Image

The first evidence that elephants can recognize themselves

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35 Who Made a Difference: Clyde Roper

He’s spent his life chasing a sea monster that’s never been taken alive

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To Catch A Thief

When biologists study food theft among endangered roseate terns, they find that crime most definitely pays

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Ouch!

A new finding that fish feel pain has set off a tortured debate about the ethics of angling

Having logged thousands of hours observing chimpanzees and other apes, Frans de Waal (left, at his Atlanta field station) argues that primates, including humans and bonobos, are more cooperative and less ruthless than once thought.

Rethinking Primate Aggression

Researcher Frans de Waal shows that apes (and humans) get along better than we thought

Kandula frolicking with mother Shanthi at the National Zoo at 8 months.

Great Expectations

Elephant researchers believe they can boost captive-animal reproduction rates and reverse a potential population crash in zoos

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Mystery Bumps

Scientists knew that alligators’ jaws are covered in bumps but it took biologist Daphne Soares to figure out why

Having stopped a mother bear with a tranquilizer dart shot from the helicopter, Derocher (with Andersen, left, and Instanes, on Spitsbergen Island) tethers the cubs and takes tissue samples to gauge the mother's exposure to industrial chemicals like PCBs.

Bear Trouble

Only hundreds of miles from the North Pole, industrial chemicals threaten the Arctic’s greatest predator

Bringing Up Baby

Scientists zero in on the caring and cunning ways of a seldom-seen waterbird

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Sea Searchers

Scientists launch a $1 billion effort to track marine life worldwide

Royal Bengal Tiger

Behind the Lines: Close Calls

Danger comes with the territory for our writers

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The Bone Collectors

A pair of biologists on Cumberland Island save the remains of dead sea critters for others to study

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