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National Zoo
@NationalZoo
The Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute is a leader in animal care, science, education, & sustainability. s.si.edu/emVrm
Washington, DCnationalzoo.si.eduJoined October 2008
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National Zoo
@NationalZoo
❤️🦍 During a recent play bout, our father-son gorilla duo both brought some signature moves, from Baraka's "spin-and-pin" to Moke's "toe tickle!" 🔊👂 Turn up the volume and listen for low, breathy, staccato vocalizations—that is what gorilla laughter sounds like! #GorillaStory
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National Zoo
@NationalZoo
It’s been a jolly time for cheetah Amani and her two cubs! 🐆🐆 In the last couple of weeks, the family received some new enrichment and the cubs had their 9-week exam. 🩺💕 Enjoy adorable cheetah cub pics📸 and read the full #CheetahCubdate now:
nationalzoo.si.edu
#CheetahCubdate 5: A Jolly (Ball) Time
It’s been a jolly time for Amani and her two cubs over the last couple weeks! The family received some new enrichment and the cubs had their 9-week exam. Read on for the full Cheetah Cubdate from
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National Zoo
@NationalZoo
🐵🙃 Golden-headed lion tamarins are some of the most devoted dads around! It's typical for them to carry the babies and give mom a break. Small Mammal House keepers say our male, Coco, is always on alert when his offspring explore the habitat—he’s a bit of a helicopter parent!
Golden-headed lion tamarin male Coco (right) carries his youngest offspring on his chest. The baby is upside-down, looking at the viewer with its mouth open, appearing to smile.
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National Zoo
@NationalZoo
📸🐻 Since our Andean bear cubs birth, keepers have primarily watched them from the Andean Bear Cub Cam. Last week, animal keeper Sara Colandrea was able to see the cubs up-close and in-person for the beary first time! 👉🐻 Read on for the full update:
nationalzoo.si.edu
Andean Bear Cub Update: The Beary First Look
Brienne’s cubs are one month old on Thursday, Dec. 15. Since their birth, keepers have primarily watched mom and cubs from the Andean Bear Cub Cam. Last week, animal keeper Sara Colandrea was able to
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National Zoo
@NationalZoo
🐘🐘 Wave hello to our new elephants, Trong Nhi and Nhi Linh! The mother-daughter duo are now on exhibit at Elephant Trails. As they acclimate to their new home, visitors can see them explore from 10 a.m. to Noon daily. Learn more: s.si.edu/3Bu5Sdm.
Elephants Nhi Linh (foreground) and her mother Trong Nhi (background) explore their outdoor habitat at Elephant Trails.
Elephants Nhi Linh (foreground) and her mother Trong Nhi (background) explore their outdoor habitat at Elephant Trails.
Elephants Nhi Linh (foreground) and her mother Trong Nhi (background) explore their outdoor habitat at Elephant Trails.
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National Zoo
@NationalZoo
☠️ Pick your poison. Pygmy slow lorises produce a venom in the brachial glands in their upper arm. These enzymes, when combined with their saliva, can cause a painful bite. Get to know Naga and Pabu in this Q+A with Small Mammal House keepers! ✏️STORY: s.si.edu/3hk6Dih.
Pygmy slow loris Pabu sits on a tree branch. He is leaning toward the viewer.
Pygmy slow loris Naga rests in the nook of a tree branch. She is looking toward the upper-left corner of the photo, toward the light. Her right hand rests on her right leg.
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National Zoo
@NationalZoo
😾😾 Resting grump face. Pallas’s cat sisters Akar and Ceba are full-grown, yet they only weigh about 6.5 pounds each. Of the 37 widely accepted cat species, Pallas’s cats are among the top 10 smallest felines in the world. Meet them at the Claws & Paws Pathway!
Pallas's cat sisters Akar and Ceba snuggle in their exhibit. The two stare intently at the viewer. One rests atop come logs, and the other is hiding behind a pile of hay.
Pallas's cat Akar explores her habitat. In this photo, she is climbing over some large gray rocks, moving to the viewer's right.
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National Zoo
@NationalZoo
❤️🐼 ICYMI: Recently, giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji hit a BIG milestone—he successfully participated in an awake blood draw! Get the latest #PandaStory update from assistant curator Laurie Thompson. ✏️STORY: s.si.edu/3ADg6aQ.
nationalzoo.si.edu
#PandaStory: Xiao Qi Ji Reaches A Big Milestone
Last month, giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji hit a big milestone—he successfully participated in an awake blood draw! Get the latest #PandaStory update from assistant curator Laurie Thompson.
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National Zoo
@NationalZoo
Once considered extinct, black-footed ferrets are making a comeback! 💻 Join senior curator Paul Marinari &
@nmnh
in a free webinar on Dec. 14 at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss ongoing reintroduction efforts & the threats still impacting these ferrets. Register: bit.ly/3H39Ehx
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@NationalZoo
🎉🦧 Happy 26th birthday to our rad Bornean orangutan dad, Kyle! This morning, he and Bonnie (pictured in the second photo) celebrated with an extra-special treat: coconuts! 🥥
Bornean orangutan Kyle rests in a hammock made of firehose.
Orangutan Bonnie eats a coconut in front of a butcherpaper sign that reads "Happy Birthday Kyle" in purple, blue and green letters.
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National Zoo
@NationalZoo
👃 From stinky skunks to super-smelling mole-rats, get a whiff of how animal's adaptations help them thrive during the Zoo’s next school program tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET. 💻 All group sizes welcome. Live captioning & ASL interpretation included. 🔗Register: s.si.edu/3gWAj4P
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National Zoo
@NationalZoo
👀 Each animal's unique adaptation serves an important purpose! Take a look at the Zoo’s next school program on Dec. 7 at 1 p.m. ET. about animal adaptations. Best suited for grades K-5. Program includes live captioning & ASL interpretation. 💻 Register: s.si.edu/3gWAj4P
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National Zoo
@NationalZoo
Follow your nose + celebrate World Coati Day! White-nosed coatis use their long, mobile snouts to forage in crevices for food. At the Small Mammal House, keepers feed sisters Ivy + Quinn kibble, raw meat and fruit. Their favorite foods, though, are earthworms and hardboiled eggs!
White-nosed coatis are reddish brown to black with lighter underparts. The coati's face has black and gray markings with a white spot above and below each eye, on each cheek and around the end of the muzzle. The tail is banded with black rings. The coati's long, highly mobile snout is well adapted to investigating crevices and holes, and they have strong claws for digging.
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National Zoo
@NationalZoo
‘Tis the season for tasty feasts! Amani’s cubs received meat for the first time & a clean bill of health after their first official vet exam. 🩺🐆 Curb your cheetah hunger with adorable pics & the full scoop on our 7-week-old cubs! #CheetahCubdate:
nationalzoo.si.edu
#CheetahCubdate 4: Feast Your Eyes on These 7-week-old Cubs
‘Tis the season for tasty feasts — even for our cheetah cubs! Amani's 7-week-old cubs tried meat for the first time and had their first vet exam. Get the full scoop in this #CheetahCubdate.
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National Zoo
@NationalZoo
We are so #thankful for our amazing animal ambassadors, the people who care for them and all of you! Sending gratitude, warm wishes and adorable *boops* 👆🐮 from our wild family to yours. Together, we save species.
Willow the Hereford cow's sign says "I am thankful for hay cubes, sniffing things I'm not supposed to, browse, hay, sweet potato, horticulture days at the farm, yard zoomies and training!"
Nigerian dwarf goats Fiesta and Fedora's sign says, "I'm thankful for hay cubes, buckets + wheelbarrows to nap in, bananas, brushing, walks, our playground and training!"
Alpacas Orion and Cirrus's sign says "I'm thankful for hay cubes, leaf piles, bananas, leafy browse and not getting chased by Maggie + Willow!"
📸🐴 Miniature donkey Giuseppe's sign says, "I am thankful for hay cubes, puzzle feeders, banana, hay, crunchy leaves, brushing and training!"
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National Zoo
@NationalZoo
🦃 It’s turkey day! Bird House keepers prepared a #Thanksgiving feast for our flock of bronze turkeys. The treats included some of their fav foods: carrots, grapes, lettuce and corn. Naturally, they *gobbled* them all up. See them in person when the Bird House reopens in 2023!
Tom, a male bronze turkey, approaches the viewer as two female turkeys eat greens behind him.
A flock of turkeys enjoys a fest of carrots, grapes, lettuce and corn in their outdoor enclosure at the Bird House.
A flock of turkeys enjoys a fest of carrots, grapes, lettuce and corn in their outdoor enclosure at the Bird House.
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National Zoo
@NationalZoo
❤️🦧 Last but not least in our #OrangutanCaringWeek celebration is everyone’s favorite little orangutan, Redd! At 6 y.o., Redd is just like any other juvenile boy—full of mischief + always up for an adventure. He excels at husbandry training and is eager to learn new behaviors.
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❤️🦧 Orangutan "princess" Iris enjoys her beauty sleep and is very skilled at building comfy night nests out of hay, wood wool, fleece blankets and sheets. Her nests are very elaborate and often very tall. In other words, they’re fit for a princess! . . . #OrangutanCaringWeek
Orangutan Iris on the O-Line.
Orangutan Iris rests in a nest. She has gathered together a large pile of hay and placed a sheet with a floral pattern on top to "make her bed."
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National Zoo
@NationalZoo
❤️🦧 Orangutan Batang is Redd’s number one friend, and they share an unbreakable mother-son bond. Occasionally, while keepers clean their enclosure, they will play in the hose spray, soaking themselves and stomping around in the puddles! . . . #OrangutanCaringWeek
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@NationalZoo
❤️🦧 At 45 y.o., Bonnie is one of the silliest orangutans you’ll ever meet! She is a wonderful “auntie” + playmate for Redd, and she unabashedly dotes on him. Often, she will make a squeaking vocalization to grab his attention and signify her desire to play. #OrangutanCaringWeek
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National Zoo
@NationalZoo
❤️🦧 At 34 y.o., orangutan Kiko has a patient attitude that lends well to tolerating a rambunctious juvenile. Often, 6 y.o. Redd will put his face right up to Kiko’s while he eats, hoping he will share his food. (Here’s a little secret: Kiko never shares.) #OrangutanCaringWeek
Orangutan Kiko sits with a burlap blanket draped atop his head. He is looking directly at the viewer.
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❤️🦧 One of 49 y.o. Lucy's favorite hangout spots is the O-Line tower in the Great Ape House’s outdoor habitat. On sunny, warm-weather days, she spends much of her time in her “office”—the tower’s upper window—watching visitors stroll along Olmsted Walk. #OrangutanCaringWeek
Lucy, an orangutan, eats some greens in her indoor habitat at the Great Ape House. She is looking directly at the viewer as she consumes her food. A few greens dangle from her lips. Some are also stuck to the fur on her belly.
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@NationalZoo
🦧🌽 We're celebrating #OrangutanCaringWeek by introducing you to our red-haired apes. First up, it's Kyle (and corn)! Male orangutans sport large cheekpads (flanges), and Kyle's are quite impressive! In the wild, dominant flanged males have a greater reproductive success rate.
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👩‍⚕️🐼👨‍⚕️ Meet Veterinarian, Dr. Katharine, and Veterinary Technician, Dave, whose patients include animals big and small throughout the Zoo. Their "unZOOsual" careers use biology and technology to keep animals at the Zoo heathy! 📽️ VIDEO: s.si.edu/3zW0SO8.
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Career Connections: Veterinary Medicine
Meet Veterinarian, Dr. Katharine, and Veterinary Technician, Dave, whose patients include animals big and small throughout the Zoo. Their "unZOOsual" careers...
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