Smithsonian Zoo Shares Video Of Adorable Animals Playing In The Snow!

If you follow the Smithsonian Zoo’s Instagram account, you were in for a treat this week!

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology may be a leader in animal care and conservation biology, but they also really love sharing videos of their animals playing around in the snow!

On Friday, the snow only got 3 inches according to the National Weather Service, which was a reprieve from the five to ten inches that blanketed the area on Monday. Throughout the week, the Smithsonian Zoo has been sharing photos and video of their animals playing around in the snow.

Here are just a few of our favorites!

There are several giant pandas at the Smithsonian Zoo, including Xiao Qi Ji, Mei Xiang, and Tian Tian. Tian Tian, an adult male, can be identified his black “knee socks.” He also has a black band across his shoulders that narrow in the middle like a bowtie.

Mei Xiang, an adult female, has black hip-high stockings that extend up her hind legs and oval patches around her eyes. Xiao Qi Ji is a male cub who is much smaller than his parents. His name translates to “Little Miracle” in English.

This week, it was Xiao Qi Ji who stole the spotlight as the Smithsonian Zoo posted a video of the young cub playing with one of his parents in the snow. They’re all too covered in snow to tell which is which, but both pandas seem to be having a fun times rolling around in the snow!

“New year, new Xiao Qi Ji!” they wrote in the caption. “In January 2021, our giant panda cub was a little wary during his first encounter with snow. This morning, the 16-month-old plowed face-first into the fresh powder, rolled around and relished the year's first #SnowDay.”

They added, “His belly-sliding skills are 10/10!”

In another video posted earlier in the week, the Smithsonian Zoo compiled a montage of many of their animals having fun in the snow, including sloth bears, bison, an Asian elephant, and cheetahs!

“Everyone is getting into the #SnowDay spirit!” they wrote in the caption.

The video shows two sloth bears, Niko and Deemak, having a “wintry wrestle” in the snow.

The American Bison, Lucy and Gally, didn’t seem to mind the snow all that much as they continued to graze as the snow fell on their backs. Asian elephant Swarna seemed confused by all of the snow that was falling.

In Front Royal, Virginia, cheetah mom Rosalie and her cubs “awoke to a snowy surprise” but the young cubs didn’t seem to mind the snow all that much as they continued to lick at their mother’s face!

In addition to the video montage, the zoo also posted a few adorable snaps of some animals getting up close and personal with the wintry weather.

They posted a photo of their Wallaby, who was staring into the camera with white snow covering its brown fur.

“Today’s #SnowDay brought snowflakes that stayed on our Bennett’s Wallaby’s nose and eyelashes!” they wrote alongside the snap.

They also shared a photo of their cow, Rose, writing, “The snow’s on Rose’s nose.” Try saying that five times fast!

Just yesterday, they also posted a photo of their red panda, Chris-Anne, peeking out from the snow and gazing straight towards the camera.

“We may find the winter winds frightful, but for red panda Chris-Anne, this morning’s snow and cold couldn’t be more delightful!” they captioned the adorable photograph.

Fans can’t wait to see what snowy animal that the zoo is going to post next, but considering that they just named the Emperor Penguin as their Animal of the Month, fans have their fingers crossed that they’ll get to see some adorable footage of penguins playing around in the snow next!