Animal Planet Gallery

This stream in a Japanese forest is the perfect habitat for a giant salamander.

2008-08-28T09:27:00.002-07:00

This stream in a Japanese forest is the perfect habitat for a giant salamander.

2008-08-28T09:27:00.001-07:00

This stream in a Japanese forest is the perfect habitat for a giant salamander.

Red pandas are endangered because of habitat loss. There are fewer than 2,500 adult red pandas in the wild.

2008-08-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

Red pandas are endangered because of habitat loss. There are fewer than 2,500 adult red pandas in the wild.

Red and giant pandas do have a few things in common.

2008-08-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

Red pandas were the first animals to be called "panda." Red and giant pandas do have a few things in common. Their main food is bamboo, and they have a thumb-like projection on their wrists that helps them grip bamboo stalks. Also, red pandas share part of their range with giant pandas.

Scenic view of a waterfall in the Wolong Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province, China

2008-08-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

Scenic view of a waterfall in the Wolong Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province, China

Webbed paws and great manual dexterity allow otters to grab a variety animals living near the water's edge, including crabs, mussels, frogs, and snail

2008-08-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

Webbed paws and great manual dexterity allow otters to grab a variety animals living near the water's edge, including crabs, mussels, frogs, and snails.

Small-clawed otters have a vocabulary of a dozen or more calls.

2008-08-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

Small-clawed otters have a vocabulary of a dozen or more calls.

Asian-small-clawed otters are the smallest of the world's 13 otter species.

2008-08-28T09:11:00.000-07:00

Asian-small-clawed otters are the smallest of the world's 13 otter species.

Scenic view of Tangjiahe River, mountains, and valley in the Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province, China

2008-08-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

Scenic view of Tangjiahe River, mountains, and valley in the Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province, China

Fishing cats are strongly tied to densely vegetated areas near water, in marshes, mangroves, rivers, and streams.

2008-08-28T09:08:00.001-07:00

Fishing cats are strongly tied to densely vegetated areas near water, in marshes, mangroves, rivers, and streams.

A male fishing cat at the National Zoo snags an unsuspecting goldfish.

2008-08-28T09:06:00.000-07:00

A male fishing cat at the National Zoo snags an unsuspecting goldfish.

Don't let the fishing cat’s name fool you: its diet also includes birds, small mammals, snakes, and snails.

Fishing cats are also powerful enough to take down large prey like calves and dogs.

Fishing cats eat birds, small mammals, snakes, snails, and fish.

2008-08-28T09:05:00.001-07:00

Fishing cats eat birds, small mammals, snakes, snails, and fish.

Bamboo forest

2008-08-28T09:03:00.001-07:00

Bamboo forest scene along a hiking trail in Bailu River Valley, Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province, China.

Controversy exists as to whether the clouded leopard is an arboreal species

2008-08-28T09:01:00.001-07:00

Controversy exists as to whether the clouded leopard is an arboreal species—strongly tied to dense tropical evergreen forest—or a terrestrial hunter that uses roads and trails in logged forests.

Clouded leopard

2008-08-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

Clouded leopard photographed at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, Thailand.

On January 9, 2006, the Zoo's female sloth bear, Hana, gave birth to a male cub.

2008-08-28T08:56:00.000-07:00

On January 9, 2006, the Zoo's female sloth bear, Hana, gave birth to a male cub. He is named Balawat (pronounced ba-la-VHAT), which means power or powerful in the Sri Lankan language Sinhalese

The Zoo's sloth bears

2008-08-28T08:54:00.000-07:00

The Zoo's sloth bears—an adult male, an adult female, and a cub—live in the first exhibits people see when they come through the Connecticut Avenue entrance.

Sloth bears

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Sloth bears are the only bears to carry young on their backs. They eat a variety of fruit and insects. They use their lips like a vacuum, making rapid, loud noises as they suck ants and termites from their nests.

Orangutan

2008-08-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

Orangutan

The world's largest tree-dwelling animal, orangutans once lived throughout Southeast Asia. Today, these endangered apes are restricted to the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. In fact, the orangutans on each island are a separate species. The main threat to their survival is habitat loss caused by illegal logging, gold mining, and conversion to permanent agriculture, much of which is devoted to palm oil plantations.

White-cheeked Gibbons

2008-08-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

White-cheeked Gibbons

The 12 species of gibbons, which are considered lesser apes, all live in Southeast Asian rainforests. They are known for their acrobatic abilities, swinging rapidly from branch to known, and for their loud, complex vocalizations. Grooming is an important social activity.

Sumatran Tiger

2008-08-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

Sumatran Tiger

The tiger is the largest member of the cat family. Sumatran tigers are the smallest subspecies.

Przewalski's Horse

2008-08-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

Przewalski's Horse

This wild horse was declared extinct in the wild in the 1970s. National Zoo scientists are part of an international effort to preserve the species.

Indian Peafowl

2008-08-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

Indian Peafowl

Native to the dense and hilly jungles of India, the peafowl are large and powerful birds that spend much of their time on the ground searching for food. Their diet consists of plants and small animals, including poisonous snakes.

Giant Pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian

2008-08-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

Giant Pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian

The Zoo's adult pandas made their debut here in January 2001. Tian, the male, is in the left.

Vietnamese Centipede

2008-08-28T08:28:00.000-07:00

Vietnamese Centipede

Centipedes are in the phylum Arthropoda, which includes many more species that any other phylum. Over three-quarters of the world's known animal species are arthropods, inhabiting air, land, and water.

Clouded Leopard

2008-08-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

Clouded Leopard

Large paws with long, sharp claws help clouded leopards climb trees. Their grip is so firm that these cats can even hand upside down from tree branches.

Komodo Dragon

2008-08-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

Komodo Dragon

The Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard in the world and is limited to a few volcanic Indonesian islands. The first time Komodo dragons hatched outside of Indonesia was in 1992, here at the National Zoo.

Fishing Cat

2008-08-28T08:22:00.000-07:00

Fishing Cat

Fishing cats eat birds, small mammals, snakes, snails, and fish.

Red-Crowned Crane

2008-08-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

Red-Crowned Crane

There are two main breeding populations of this endangered crane, which mates for life. The smaller population breeds and winters on the island of Hokkaido, Japan. The larger northeast China/southeastern Russia population, numbering about 1,200 birds, winters in two or three subpopulations—both coasts of North Korea, the Demilitarized Zone, and the Jiangsu region of central China.

Asian Elephants

2008-08-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

Asian Elephants

Born in November 2001, Kandula is the Zoo's youngest and only male Asian elephant. When he is full grown, he may weigh 11,000 pounds and be ten feet tall.

Red Panda

2008-08-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

Red Panda

Just like giant pandas, these pandas primarily eat bamboo and live in temperate forests in China, as well as Myanmar and other south Asian countries.

Strangler Fig

2008-08-28T07:04:00.000-07:00

Strangler Fig

Strangler figs, a kind of ficus, are parasites. Animals that eat the plant's fruit deposit seeds in their droppings in rainforest treetops, known as the canopy. When a seed germinates, it sends roots down to the forest floor to anchor itself. More and more roots wrap around the host tree and fuse together, and leaves grow to catch sunlight. After many decades, the fig completely cuts off water and sunlight from the host tree, so that the tree dies.

Sunbittern

2008-08-28T07:02:00.000-07:00

Sunbittern

A long-billed bird, the sunbittern has a thin neck and patterned feathers. When threatened, it will spread its wings to display numerous eyespots. With its tail lifted as well, its feathers form a semicircle.

Two-toed Sloth

2008-08-28T07:01:00.000-07:00

Two-toed Sloth

Solitary by nature, sloths spend most of their lives hanging upside down from trees—sleeping, eating, mating, and even giving birth upside down. Because of this, their organs are in different positions from other mammals.

In the wild, green algae often covers sloths' gray-brown fur.

Freshwater Stingrays

2008-08-28T06:59:00.000-07:00

Freshwater Stingrays

There are three different species of freshwater stingrays in amazonia.

Stingrays at the National Zoo are actively bred. The little rays will be born approximately 90 days after copulation; the breeding season lasts all year.

Juveniles are kept in a separate tank; they are released into the flooded forest when they reach a certain size.

Blue and Gold Macaw

2008-08-28T06:58:00.001-07:00

Blue and Gold Macaw

The 17 species of macaws, like all other parrots, mate for life.

You won't find any blue and gold macaws at the Zoo, but you might spot our scarlet macaw in amazonia.

Arapaima

2008-08-28T06:56:00.001-07:00

Arapaima

These large fish can reach up to 9 feet in length and weigh 300 pounds. They feed on smaller fish, reptiles, and insects. Arapaimas have great vision, and hunt near the surface of the water. If they see something desirable out of the water, they can shoot out and grab it.

Maned Wolves

2008-08-28T06:55:00.000-07:00

Maned Wolves

The maned wolf is South America's largest canid and is an endangered animal that is increasingly being threatened by habitat loss. North American zoos have initiated a Species Survival Plan to help boost numbers of the remaining wild populations.

Cane Toad

2008-08-28T06:53:00.000-07:00

Cane Toad

Orginally from the Amazon, this poisonous toad has spread across the tropical forests of the world. It is currently having a devastating effect on the ecology of Australia, where it lacks natural predators.

Plants of the Amazon

2008-08-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

Plants of the Amazon

Plants have adapted to the immense quantity of rain that showers on them. Many leaves are oval shaped, and have a drip-tip that allows water to flow right off. In two and a half acres of rainforest, scientists have counted more than 200 species of plants.

Scarlet Macaw

2008-08-28T06:50:00.000-07:00

Scarlet Macaw

With their bright red, yellow, and blue feathers, scarlet macaws are one of the world's most recognizable parrots. Their loud squawks aren't quite a pleasant sound, but seeing them in the wild brings a thrill.

Unfortunately, because so many have been caught for the pet trade and so much of their habitat has been destroyed, their range and population have been greatly reduced. They now can be found as far north as southern Mexico, in Central America, and in Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil.

Poison Dart Frog

2008-08-28T06:49:00.000-07:00

Poison Dart Frog

The skin glands of this amphibian produce a highly toxic poison capable of repelling or even killing small predators.

Dusky Titi Monkey

2008-08-28T06:46:00.000-07:00

Dusky Titi Monkey

The dusky titi monkey inhabits Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and other South American countries. A male and female titi monkey share very strong bonds, huddling together to sleep on groups of thick branches. The pair residing in amazonia brother and sister.

amazonia

2008-08-28T06:44:00.001-07:00

Within amazonia is a lush rainforest walk with more than 350 species of plants, including 50-foot-tall trees, tropical vines, and epiphytes. This habitat is also home to free ranging Goeldi's monkeys, tanagers, cardinals, and many species of fish, reptiles, and amphibians.

Scarlet Ibis

2008-08-28T06:38:00.000-07:00

Scarlet Ibis

The most colorful of all ibis species, the slender-billed scarlet ibis is native to South America.

Chicks are born gray and gradually turn pink during their first year of life. Just like flamingos, adults require carotene in their diet to maintain their color.