Let’s celebrate the newest cheetah cubs of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute

The first Monday of 2026 is already shaping up to be one heck of an example of its species, but instead of trudging your way into the day, might I recommend instead embodying the spicy attitude of a freshly examined — yet adorable — cheetah cub? Of course, there’s plenty of attitude inspiration handy in the four newest cheetah cubs of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

Happy Monday, Watchers!

Photo by the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

The (all-female) cheetah cub quartet was born to mom Amabala on October 17-18, 2025 at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) campus in Front Royal, VA. They are Amabala’s first litter, and father Flash’s second — although male cheetahs are not involved in the raising of young. They represent a dual milestone for the Institute as the 20th litter born at the Front Royal campus and the fifth broadcast on their Cheetah Cub Cam (Amabala’s birth litter in 2020 was the first!). And yes, the cubs are another litter “win” in their ongoing conservation efforts under the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) cheetah Species Survival Plan (SSP) as members of the Cheetah Breeding Center Coalition (a group of 10 cheetah breeding centers across the United States).

At just four weeks, the cubs were already romping outside and exploring their environs (under the supervision of their mother, of course). Movement in and out of the den and around the habitat is normal — although probably frustrating for those catching the little family on the institute’s Cheetah Cub Cam of both dens. The Smithsonian’s Conservation Biology Institute limits human contact with the cubs early on in their lives to encourage bonding with their mother while performing observational behavioral research. Their peeping vocalizations are too cute to be believed — turn up the volume in this video, those are not birds you’re hearing!

Photo by Ellie Tahmaseb/Smithsonian

After the initial hands-off period to let Amabala bond with and care for her cubs, the cheetah cubs received their first medical exams about six week’s later — much to their consternation, it appears! The Institute’s animal care staff distracted mom with a frozen rabbit (her favorite food) to safely and briefly separate the cubs away to receive full-body visual inspections (checking for any developmental issues), administer vaccinations, collect a small blood sample, and place a small tracking transponder. Even at their young age, the cubs absolutely expressed their feelings by hissing and bearing their teeny little teeth at the care team.

Don’t worry though, all is good on the health front — this is also when they determined all four cubs are female — and the cubs returned to having fun outside with Amabala. According to the Smithsonian, the cubs will “cuddle up inside the dens during wet or especially cold weather.” But seriously — look at those full-body fluff mohawks.

Cheetah Cub Cam courtesy of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Cheetahs are listed as Vulnerable to extinction under the IUCN Red List. The declining population sits at an estimated 6500 adults in fragmented groups around primarily sub-Saharan Africa. The population faces multiple threats, with (sadly now common) habitat and prey loss as well as human conflict and poaching as the “big” offenders. Past population bottlenecks also increase the difficulty of maintaining cheetah populations in captivity by impacting genetic diversity in the species.

For now, we’ll continue to follow the young family’s adventures on the Cheetah Cub Cam and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo social media accounts: Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube. In the interim, remember the lesson of their medical exam: hissing, teeth and claws bared, is how we’ll get through the Monday.