The National Zoo is home to 2,000 individual animals of nearly 400 different species. Our best known residents are our giant pandas, but great apes, big cats, Asian elephants, birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects, aquatic animals, small mammals, and many others can be found at the Zoo. You can take a virtual visit to the Zoo any day of the week by tuning into our live web cams, which feature many of the Zoo's animals: Watching Amazon river fishes: Here is a glimpse into the rich and vibrant underwater life of the Amazon. Red-tailed catfish, arowanas, black pacus, and guppy share this 55,000-gallon aquarium below a living tropical forest. Watching Andean bear cubs: The only bear native to South America, the Andean bear (sometimes called the spectacled bear) each has its own distinctive set of distinct cream or whitish markings on its head, throat, and chest.
