Encyclopedia Smithsonian

Discover ten stories from UNESCO’s World Heritage List: The list of the most outstanding natural and cultural sites in the world. Add your voice to the conversation! In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the 1972 UNESCO Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage and to further its objectives, the Smithsonian and UNESCO have partnered to produce the Stories of World Heritage app and website.

Answers to some of the questions most often asked of the National Museum of Natural History  about the biology and natural history of these shy, nocturnal creatures.

Frequently requested Information on insects from butterflies to wasps.

Information about the Shark Attack File

Information and reading list regarding this now-extinct bird.

Dominating the rotunda, in a setting that re-creates the Angolan bush, is the museum's 8-ton, 14-foot-tall African elephant.

Animals and plants of the New World are included in this rain forest habitat featuring a re-created microcosm of the world's largest rain forest and the Amazon River.

A rotating selection of objects from the collection of Jeanette Cantrell Rudy sheds light on the Federal Duck Stamp program.

Asia Trail is home to the following Asian species: sloth bears, fishing cats, red pandas, clouded leopards, Asian small-clawed otters, giant pandas, and Japanese giant salamander.

The National Zoo is home to hundreds of birds from all over the world.

This showcase features a 11.5-meter tubular core sample that shows physical and biological effects of Earth's collision with a giant asteroid 65 million years ago, which resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs.

This exhibition shows how butterflies have evolved, adapted, and diversified with their plant partners over millions of years.

Stroll along the walkways in the Butterfly Habitat Garden to see four habitats of native plants that attract a variety of colorful butterflies spring through fall. 

Cheetahs can be seen engaged in natural behaviors in a grassland setting similar to their natural savanna habitat.

This exhibition introduces the study of soil science and demonstrates the vital role soil plays in sustaining human welfare, assuring future agricultural productivity, and environmental sustainability.

All of the old favorites are on view in the exhibition hall -- Diplodocus, T. rex, and Triceratops -- and more.

A 4.2-acre rooftop park, named for its donor, features an embroidered parterre in a geometric design of plants and flowers rotated seasonally.

This exhibition provides a look at life from an ant's point of view through large-format photographs of ants going about their daily business, a cast of an underground ant city, and a live ant colony.

This exhibition explains the important role the atmosphere plays in our lives and in the environment by examining its evolution and properties and its effects on plants, animals, and people.

This exhibition uses the El Nino weather phenomenon to demonstrate the dynamic interrelations among the Earth's 4 components.