News Bites - National Geographic Kids: Search Results

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Happy the Hippo Leaves the National Zoo

Posted By NG Kids

Photograph by Mehgan Murphy/National Zoo

Happy the hippo was born at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and lived there for 28 years. In recent years, he has been the zoo's only hippo and shared a habitat with the elephants. On Monday, September 28, Happy moved out in preparation for the Asian elephant exhibit expansion. His new home is at the Milwaukee County Zoo in Wisconsin. Zoo visitors in Washington, D.C. will miss him, but at least Happy will finally have some company--two female hippos named Puddles and Patti.

Learn more about Happy's big move on the National Zoo's website.

Get the facts on hippos on National Geographic Kids.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Happy Birthday, Tai Shan

Posted By NG Kids

Photo: Tai Shan with his birthday "cake"

One of the big attractions at Washington, D.C.'s National Zoo is Tai Shan, a giant panda. He was born at the zoo in 2005, and has been delighting visitors ever since. Tai Shan turns four today, and his fans have been leaving birthday messages on the National Zoo's website.

To celebrate his birthday, the zoo's staff made Tai Shan a birthday "cake," but it's really more like a Popsicle. The ingredients are water, bamboo, and beets. Yummy!

Send Tai Shan a birthday wish on the National Zoo's website.

Learn more about Tai Shan and the zoo's other giant pandas on the National Zoo's website.

Get facts about giant pandas on National Geographic Kids.

Photograph courtesy Mehgan Murphy/Smithsonian's National Zoo

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Rare Clouded Leopards Born in Zoo

Posted By NG Kids

Photograph by Meghan Murphy/National Zoo

Earlier this month, two clouded leopard cubs were born at the National Zoo's Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia. This is the first successful clouded leopard birth at the center in 16 years!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Shrewd Baby Shrew

Posted By NG Kids

Keepers at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., were surprised when they counted three black and rufous giant elephant-shrew in their exhibit instead of two! The female elephant-shrew in the exhibit probably gave birth to the new baby in January. The baby elephant-shrew is doing well and can be seen in the National Zoo's Small Mammal House.

See a video of the baby and learn more about the new elephant-shrew on the National Zoo's website.

Watch a wild elephant shrew and her baby in this video.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Baby Gorilla Born at National Zoo

Posted By NG Kids

A western lowland gorilla named Mandara gave birth to her sixth baby in the Great Ape House on January 10. The zoo isn't sure if the tiny gorilla is a boy or a girl yet, because Mom's keeping the baby all to herself for now.

Western lowland gorillas are listed as a critically endangered species, so these births are especially important. There have been seven successful western lowland gorilla births at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. since 1991.

See baby pictures and watch a video at the National Zoo.

Get the facts on mountain gorillas in the Creature Feature.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Monkey Hear, Monkey Do

Posted By NG Kids

Did you know that orangutans can imitate sounds and even whistle? Researchers have seen them imitate human activities like sweeping and even washing clothes, but now scientists have found that they can pick up sounds from other species.

Bonnie, an orangutan who lives at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., has been whistling for about 20 years. She was never trained to whistle, indicating that some animals can learn and mimic sounds that other species make without being directly taught.

Photograph courtesy Smithsonian National Zoological Park

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