Help for PC       Help for Macintosh


Amazon River Cam
Watching Amazon river fishes: Here is a glimpse into the rich and vibrant underwater life of the Amazon. When the large, serpent-like arapaimas swim past the camera, you will get a close-up look at one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. The ones you can see here range from five to six6 feet in length, but may reach up to ten feet and weigh 300 pounds. Red-tailed catfish, arowanas, black pacus, and Poecilia reticulata (guppy) share this 55,000-gallon aquarium below a living tropical forest. link toFind out more about the Zoo's Amazonia Habitat and Science Gallery.| link toAmazonia Photo Gallery
Asian small-clawed otter cam
Watching Asian small-clawed otters: Six male otters live on Asia Trail. If you see one, you'll likely see the others. Small-clawed otters, the smallest of the world's 13 otter species, live in family groups and play often. link toAsia Trail Photo Gallery | Asian Small-clawed Otter Fact Sheet
Cheetah cam
Spotting cheetahs: The Zoo is home to four cheetahs, three young males and one female. Cheetahs are the world's fastest land mammal, able to run as fast as 60 miles per hour. These cats are vulnerable to extinction. link toCheetah Fact Sheet | link toAfrican Savanna Photo Gallery | link toMeet the Cheetahs
clouded leopard cam
Watching clouded leopards: Two clouded leopards live on Asia Trail. You may see them leaping from limb to limb and napping on sturdy branches. Relative to body size, clouded leopards' long canines are the largest of all living cats'. link toAdopt a Clouded Leopard | link toAsia Trail Photo Gallery | Clouded Leopard Fact Sheet
ferret cam
Watching black-footed ferrets: You are viewing the nest box of a black-footed ferret and her kit at the Zoo's Conservation and Research Center, one of a only a handful of breeding centers in the United States. Ferrets in the wild are nocturnal, spending their days sleeping in underground burrows in the grasslands of the Great Plains. Recovery of the endangered black-footed ferret | link toNorth America Photo Gallery
fishing cat cam
Watching fishing cats: Two fishing cats live on Asia Trail. These short-tailed cats are about twice the size of the average housecat. They attract fish by lighting tapping the water's surface with a paw, mimicking insect movements. Then, they dive into the water to catch the fish. link toWatch Fishing Cats Fish | link toAsia Trail Photo Gallery | Fishing Cat Fact Sheet
Flamingo Cam
Watching a flock of flamingos: There are dozens of birds in the National Zoo's flamingo flock, some of which have been living at the Zoo since 1965! You may notice smaller, gray birds among the adult flamingos—these are flamingo chicks that hatched in the spring. Flamingos turn pink as a result of brine-shrimp in their diet; chicks develop pink feathers between one and two years of age. link toFlamingo Facts | link toBirds Photo Gallery | link toAdopt a Flamingo
gharial cam
Underwater discovery: You have a fish-eye's view beneath the water’s surface at the Reptile Discovery Center, where you may catch a glimpse of a gharial, one of the largest and most threatened crocodilian species. Sharing the gharial’s habitat are flapshell turtles and tilapia, fast-swimming fish. The gharial’s elongated jaws are lined with many interlocking, razor-sharp teeth that help it catch and eat fish, however, the tilapia are usually too fast to make a reliable meal, so the gharial’s diet consists of a variety of slower fish. Gharials at the Zoo | link toReptiles & Amphibians Photo Gallery
golden lion tamarin cam
Watching golden lion tamarins: You are viewing the exhibit of a golden lion tamarin family living in the Small Mammal House. There are only about 1,500 of these small monkeys in the wild. National Zoo scientists have been working to conserve them for more than 30 years. Golden Lion Tamarin Conservation Program | link toGolden lion tamarin facts | Adopt a Golden Lion Tamarin
gorilla cam
Watching gorillas: The Zoo is home to six western lowland gorillas, three adult females and three males. Two of the males are juveniles who were born here at the Zoo—Kojo, who was born in November 2001, and Kwame, who was born in November 1999. The third male, Baraka, is an adult who was born here in in 1992. Gorillas are the world's largest primates and, after chimpanzees, our closest relatives. Gorilla Facts | Meet the Gorillas | Adopt a Gorilla
kingfisher cam
Watching Micronesian kingfishers: View the nest box of Micronesian kingfishers at the Zoo. There are only about 65 of these birds left in the world. None survives in the wild. Zoo scientists are working to breed and reintroduce them to Micronesia. Hope for the Micronesian Kingfisher | About the Micronesian Kingfisher
kiwi cam
Watching a young kiwi: Our camera looks into the nest box of Koa, a North Island brown kiwi that hatched at the Zoo on March 7, 2008. This is just the third chick to hatch here since 1975—the first time a kiwi hatched outside of New Zealand. Since kiwis are nocturnal, the best time to view the chick exploring and foraging in its box will be in the evening.
North Island brown kiwi fact sheet | Read answers to kiwi questions | About kiwis | Read kiwi updates
lion cam
Watching lions: The Zoo is home to three female lions, Lusaka, Shera, and Nababiep, and one male lion, Luke. Tigers are lions' closest relatives. Without their coats, lion and tiger bodies are so similar that only experts can tell them apart.
Lion Fact Sheet | Meet the Lions
Microscope Cam
The world we see with our own eyes contains another very small world. Every second of every day, millions of tiny (single-celled, multi-celled, and acellular) organisms are thriving around us. They eat, travel around, and reproduce largely without us ever noticing. Despite this, these tiny organisms play a vital role in the world. They are important decomposers, and even aid us in our own digestion. Without the benign bacteria that live in our bodies, our immune system would be weak and unable to fend off more dangerous microorganisms. On the darker side, they are also responsible for the deaths of millions of people every year. This MicroTheatre gives us the opportunity to catch a glimpse of this everyday, invisible world. link toInvertebrate Exhibit | link toInvertebrates Photo Gallery

Image updated every two seconds from 10 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. EST.


Naked Mole-Rat Cam
Naked mole-what? Despite the fact that they burrow underground like moles, and have rat-like tails, naked mole-rats are more closely related to porcupines, chinchillas, and guinea pigs than to moles or rats. This naked mole-rat colony lives at the Small Mammal House, where the mole-rats occupy a labyrinth of transparent tubes that mimics the underground tunnels and burrows in Africa where they live in total darkness virtually all their lives. The web cam is focused on an intersection of two tunnels where there is often mole-rat traffic. What is most fascinating about mole-rats is that they're the only known mammals to live in large colonies presided over by a queen (like ants and termites). link toThe Naked Truth about Mole-Rats | link toAnswers to Frequently Asked Questions
Octopus Cam
Monster of the deep? Hardly! Octopuses are actually mollusks, a group including snails and clams, which is a far cry from giant monsters dragging sailors to their doom. As alien as the giant octopus may look to us, they are harmless creatures, both shy and reclusive. Some of their most fascinating adaptations tend to be defensive in nature, designed to keep them out of trouble and off a predator's menu. They can instantaneously alter their color and texture, a useful trait for remaining unseen by both predators and prey. Watch our octopus being fed each day at about 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., on the web cam or in person at the link toInvertebrate Exhibit. | link toOcean Living Photo Gallery
orangutan cam
Watching apes: Six orangutans live at the Zoo. They can travel between the Great Ape House and Think Tank along the Orangutan Transport System (O Line), a series of towers and cables, 35 to 40 feet above ground. You may see them swinging on the ropes and making nests of hay to rest on. link toGreat Apes & Other Primates photo gallery | Orangutan Facts
panda cam
Watching giant pandas: The Zoo is home to adult female panda Mei Xiang, adult male panda Tian Tian, and their male cub, Tai Shan. The panda cams follow the pandas in their indoor and outdoor exhibits. Giant Panda Conservation Fund | link toGiant Panda Photo Gallery | Adopt a Giant Panda
Sloth Bear Cam
Watching Sloth Bears: Four sloth bears live at the Zoo—a male cub, born here in January 2006, his mother and father, and another adult female. You may see the bears climbing, foraging for insects, or sleeping. Native to India, Sri Lanka, and southern Nepal, sloth bears are the only bears to carry young on their backs. link toSloth Bear Fact sheet
tiger cam
Watching Sumatran tigers: Two adult tigers and two of their cubs live at the National Zoo—female Soyono, male Rokan, and their cubs, born in May 2006. You may see the cats walking about, occasionally pausing to scent-mark territory, just like they would in the wild. link toGreat Cats Photo Gallery | Fun Facts about Cats | Adopt a Sumatran Tiger

Page Controls