‘Otterly adorable.’ The National Zoo introduced 11 new otters to the public on Saturday. The family of Asian small-clawed otters include: Chowder (the father), Clementine (the mother) and their children, Pork Chop, Pickles, Saffron, Olive, Peaches, Turnip, Radish, Rutabaga and Kevin.

Great Apes

• About three seconds before the quake, Mandara (a gorilla) let out a shriek and collected her baby, Kibibi, and moved to the top of the tree structure as well. 
• Iris (an orangutan) began “belch vocalizing”—an unhappy/upset noise normally reserved for extreme irritation—before the quake and continued this vocalization following the quake.

Small Mammals

• The red ruffed lemurs sounded an alarm call about 15 minutes before the quake and then again just after it occurred. 
• The howler monkeys sounded an alarm call just after the earthquake. 
• The black-and-rufous giant elephant shrew hid in his habitat and refused to come out for afternoon feeding.

Reptile Discovery Center

• All the snakes began writhing during the quake (copperheads, cotton mouth, false water cobra, etc.). Normally, they remain inactive during the day. 
• Murphy, the Zoo’s Komodo dragon, sought shelter inside.

Beavers

• Keepers were feeding the beavers and hooded mergansers (a species of duck) when the earthquake hit. The ducks immediately jumped into the pool. The beavers stopped eating, stood on their hind legs and looked around, then got into the water, too. They all stayed in the water. Within an hour, some of the beavers returned to land to continue eating.

Great Cats

• The lion pride was outside. They all stood still and faced the building, which rattled during the quake. All settled down within minutes. 
• Damai (a female Sumatran tiger) jumped at the start of the earthquake in a startled fashion. Her behavior returned to normal after the quake.

Bird House

• The Zoo has a flock of 64 flamingos. Just before the quake, the birds rushed about and grouped themselves together. They remained huddled during the quake.

Front Royal

• During the quake all Eld’s deer and tufted deer immediately ran out of the barns and appeared agitated. 
• The Prezwalski’s horses and scimitar-horned oryx hardly noticed although those that were inside did amble outside eventually. 
• Immediately after the quake the female Eld’s deer herd began alarm calling (a high staccato barking sound) until they were called by their keeper and subsequently all congregated in the corner of the pasture nearest the keeper for a short time.

Giant Pandas

• According to keepers, the giant pandas did not appear to respond to the earthquake. :)

(Source: nationalzoo.si.edu)

The first warnings of the earthquake may have occurred at the National Zoo, where officials said some animals seemed to feel it coming before people did. The red ruffed lemurs began ‘alarm calling’ a full 15 minutes before the quake hit … In the Great Ape House, Iris, an orangutan, let out a guttural holler 10 seconds before keepers felt the quake. The flamingos huddled together in the water seconds before people felt the rumbling. The rheas got excited. And the hooded mergansers — a kind of duck — dashed for the safety of the water.