National Zoological Park

Giant Panda having fun with some fruit frozen in ice

Last week I was able to make my first ever trip to the National Zoo just outside of Washington, D.C..

The location is notable because it is one of the few zoos in the country to have Giant Pandas on exhibit, and what a gorgeous exhibit they have! In fact, the entire place has some really awesome habitats put together for the animals, and I'd love to go back in a few years once the construction is completed to see what else they've put together.

The zoo had a really nice flow to it, and featured several species (aside from Pandas) that I'd never seen before in captivity, including Giant Anteaters, Kori Bustards, and Elephant Shrews (among many, many others).They also had some very well organized buildings for the birds, reptiles, and small mammals. They even had a specific building just for invertebrates featuring some really amazing species of Lobster, Cuttlefish, and many others.

The National Zoological Park is open every day except December 25th, typically from 10:00AM until 6:00PM, and is only a short Red Line trip from downtown D.C.

But enough of my blathering, have some pictures (and more commentary) after the jump!

Large male Gorilla is keeping an eye on the younster

Red Pandas are unrealistically cute

There are actually seven baby lions, but this picture was pretty Lion King-esque.

Roseate Spoonbill

Spotted Spiny Lobster

Kori Bustards giving me the stink eye

Giant Pandas eat.. a lot