New at the Zoo: Big cats, little cubs.

Two of the seven African lion cubs, now on exhibit (weather permitting) at the National Zoological Park.

Well, technically speaking this isn't "new" as the two litters of african lion cubs were born at the National Zoo back in August and September. But what is new is that the cubs have finally been introduced to their father, Luke, and that they have been spending a little time in their outdoor yards each day, meaning that you can finally go visit them! Two weekends ago, the Friends of the National Zoo hosted an exhibit debut for FONZ members, and I was lucky enough to get a chance to meet the pride. I thought I'd take the opportunity to share some of my photos from the day.

Gearing up for SVP 2010!

There have been a lot of paleo-happenings this week, all leading up to my departure tomorrow morning for the 70th Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Pittsburgh, PA. I am completely unprepared. I probably won't even get a chance to look at the abstract book until I get to Pennsylvania. That being said, I just wanted to do a quick wrap up of the week, considering how many things have been going on. This will be a huge link fest (not that they've become atypical to readers around here), but something is better than nothing, right? Consider it a dry run of my blog carnival hosting skills. Speaking of which, have you seen this months edition of The Boneyard? David Orr, you have my utmost respect.

First a focus on the science blogosphere. Dr. Darren Naish of Tetrapod Zoology has pulled together a collection of posts from Tet Zoo ver 1 and published them in a paper format. This is awesome. For those who don't follow Tet Zoo ver 2, what are you doing with your life, seriously? Tetrapod Zoology Book One is avaliable for sale on Amazon.com. You'd best get to buying it! I want to make sure that enough people purchase a copy to encourage Dr. Naish to put out subsequent volumes.

New at the Zoo: Elephant Trails (Phase 1)

Friday, finally. I know that once the week finally comes to an end, I'm always looking for something to do, preferably outside. And I think I have my plans for the weekend lined up. Like so many of my weekends, I'll try and spend a chunk of this one at the National Zoo. There has been a lot of stuff going on there recently that I need to check out, and here's one more thing to add to the list. After over two and a half years of preparation and construction, Phase 1 of the Zoo's new "Elephant Trails" is finally open to the public. Huzzah!!!

New at the Zoo: African lion cubs!

Good news everyone! Last Monday night/Tuesday morning, Luke and Shera welcomed four little bundles of liony joy into the world. This is Shera's first litter, and Luke's first surviving litter (following the death of the cub born to Shera's sister, Nababiep, on May 20th of this year), and is truley great news for the Zoo, it's staff and visotors, and lions the world over. Their birth is a momentous occasion, and represents a huge victory for lion conservation. These cubs will help protect the survival of their species by contributing their unique genes to the captive breeding population in the future.

New at the Zoo: Japanese Giant Salamanders

Andrias japonicus, edited by SMcCandlish, original by Opencage, from Wikimedia Commons.

Giant news today from the Smithsonian National Zoological Park: five Japanese giant salamanders (Andrias japonicus) have made their way across the globe and are taking up residence at the Zoo. A. japonicus is the second largest amphibian alive today (there were some giants in the past), and is a close relative of the North American hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) both being in the cryptobranchid family. They are nocturnal hunters and are completely aquatic, living in clear, fast flowing, cold water streams. In the wild, they will travel upstream to mate and spawn, and the male provides a substantial amount of parental care (Adler & Halliday, 1986).

Life.

I love it. All of it. If there's one thing about Earth that I'd say I'm most enamored with, it is Life and the natural world. It's myriad forms are all around us, and on some level, inspire or teach me every day.

But sometimes, my life becomes so full that I find it difficult to really enjoy it. Or blog about it. This saddens me. I haven't' had a very substantial post (let alone a post at all) in quite some time. But that will soon change. I promise I'll be back very soon, finishing up post series that I started long ago, answering questions I posed to readers, and generally doing what I set out to do with this blog in the first place: write about science and life on Earth, and share the wonder of the natural world with anyone who wants to learn about it.

Until next time, enjoy this photo of an eastern chipmunk, Tamias striatus. And while on the subject, I highly suggest checking out powerpig's photoset "Critters". As a science geek and sci-fi nerd, I approve!

Some of the "wildlife" you can find roaming the grounds of the National Zoological Park.

One less tiger in the world.

Rokan

Sad news yesterday from the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Rokan, the almost 20 year old Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae), was euthanized after several years of worsening health conditions. He was an amazing big cat who sired 10 cubs during his lifetime. He should be remembered and celebrated for the contributions he made to tiger conservation efforts. You can read more about the story at the Zoo's Tiger Diary.

Happy Birthday Kibibi!

This past weekend, the youngest addition to the western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) family at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park celebrated her first birthday (photo at left by FONZ Photo Club member Jonathan Kang). Born 10 January, 2009 to mother Mandara, Kibibi lives with her half sister Kigali, half brothers Kwame and Kojo, paternal grandmother Haloko, and new silverback Baraka at the zoo's Great Ape House.