News

Human history has never seen a more pivotal time for wildlife. While extinction threatens nearly one-quarter of all known vertebrate species, scientists are creating interdisciplinary techniques and partnerships geared toward recovering endangered populations. To meet the global challenge of...

Changes in North American ecosystems over the past 150 years have caused coyotes to move from their native habitats in the plains and southwestern deserts of North America to habitats throughout the United States. In a new study, published Oct. 17 in the Journal of Mammalogy, researchers from the...

She is small, she is cute and she is a webcam star. But this little black-footed ferret, born April 15 at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., does not have a name. So SCBI has teamed up with Smithsonian magazine to find her just the right name, and they are asking for...

HANOI, Vietnam – Project Predator, an initiative to protect and save the world's last surviving wild tigers was unveiled today at the 80th INTERPOL General Assembly, a gathering of global law enforcement officials from the organization's 190 member countries. Created by INTERPOL, Project Predator...

Using one of the largest DNA data sets for a group of birds and employing next-generation sequencing methods, Smithsonian scientists and collaborators have determined the evolutionary family tree for one of the most strikingly diverse and endangered bird families in the world, the Hawaiian...

Veterinary and pathology experts from the Smithsonian Institution, University of Illinois and the Wildlife Conservation Society will conduct a five-day training workshop for pathologists in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia on how to identify and investigate unknown diseases.

Twenty years ago today, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo welcomed naked mole-rats ( Heterocephalus glaber) into its collection. These rodents, which are more closely related to porcupines and guinea pigs than to their namesake, are one of only a handful of mammals that exhibit eusocial behavior. Like...

Using one of the largest DNA data sets for a group of birds and employing next-generation sequencing methods, Smithsonian scientists and collaborators have determined the evolutionary family tree for one of the most strikingly diverse and endangered bird families in the world, the Hawaiian...

By Tony Barthel, Curator of Large Mammals at the National Zoo This past October I was lucky enough to travel to Malaysia and join a team who was exploring opportunities for collaboration on elephant and wildlife conservation between the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI), the National...

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo cares for some of the rarest species on earth, including the Micronesian kingfisher ( Todiramphus c. cinnamominus), a bird that has been extinct in the wild for more than 20 years. The Zoo’s Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., is celebrating...

The black-footed ferret, once thought to be extinct in the wild, was rediscovered in 1981 with a small population of 24 animals in Wyoming―30 years later the species’ future is brighter than ever. The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute is marking this anniversary with a record-breaking year...

The lion cubs—John, Fahari, Zuri, Lelie, Baruti, Aslan and Lusaka—will receive wrapped presents containing individual-sized “bloodcicles” (frozen treats composed of blood and bones). The cubs were born in two litters last year: The first Aug. 31 to Shera and the second Sept. 22 to her sister...

The birth of a Persian onager at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., Wednesday, Sept. 7, is a boon for a vital program that seeks innovative ways to manage endangered species that live in herds. The foal is now one of 26 onagers in captivity in North America. The last...

Pierre Comizzoli, a gamete biologist at SCBI’s Center for Species Survival received one of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. President Obama named 94 researchers as recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor...

Thunder, lightning and strong winds greeted the National Zoo’s two female red panda cubs when they were born June 17, and that stormy night has now determined their names. One cub, Pili, received her name today after voting closed on NBC Washington’s website. Pili, which means “clap of thunder” in...

Smithsonian’s National Zoo Director Dennis W. Kelly has been elected to serve on the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Board of Directors. Kelly will be one of nine members on the Board, which works to promote AZA’s mission of dedication to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of...

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Communications Team won the prestigious PR News Platinum Award! The award, in the Public Affairs category, recognizes their work on the amphibian crisis public relations campaign.This is a significant honor and acknowledgement from the public relations industry. PR...

The lion cubs—John, Fahari, Zuri, Lelie, Baruti, Aslan and Lusaka—will receive wrapped presents containing individual-sized “bloodcicles” (frozen treats composed of blood and bones). The cubs were born in two litters last year: The first Aug. 31 to Shera and the second Sept. 22 to her sister...

For the first time in decades, researchers have found a new bird species in the United States. Based on a specimen collected in 1963 on Midway Atoll, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, biologists have described a new species of seabird, Bryan’s shearwater ( Puffinus bryani), according to differences in...

The vibrations from yesterday’s 5.8 earthquake were keenly felt at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park; all animals, staff and visitors were safe and no injuries were reported. Zoo buildings were closed to the public and checked by safety personnel for structural damage. Zoo gates were closed...

On August 18, PLoS ONE published a significant paper about elephant cognition in which the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s now 9-year-old elephant, Kandula, showed unparalleled problem-solving skills. Three of the five co-authors of the study, Insightful Problem Solving in an Asian Elephant, include...

A genetic study focusing on the Central American river turtle ( Dermatemys mawii) recently turned up surprising results for scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and collaborators involved in the conservation of this critically endangered species. Small tissue samples...

Researchers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute have discovered why older female cheetahs are rarely able to reproduce—and hope to use this information to introduce vital new genes into the pool. SCBI scientists and collaborating researchers analyzed hormones, eggs and the uteriof 34...

The National Science Foundation-sponsored Research Coordination Network for Haemosporidia of Terrestrial Vertebrates will hold a three-day meeting starting this Friday, August 5 to address various aspects of malaria and related blood-borne diseases in wildlife, including transmission dynamics...

Birds use their bills largely to forage and eat, and these behaviors strongly influence the shape and size of a bird’s bill.