A few California Science Center critters called upon the Samuel Oschin Pavilion, which houses the Space Shuttle Endeavour, for a cosmically cute pictorial, a photo shoot that could only happen in the absence of visitors.
The Exposition Park museum is temporarily closed in response to COVID-19.
It isn't often that a rat and a Pancake Tortoise can roam around one of the most famous space vehicles ever built, and a snake can see a capsule, but keepers treated their charges to an in-house field trip and took a few memorable snapshots, all to summon some smiles during this #SaferatHome time.
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California Science Center
Alexa, a keeper at the center, said this about her adorable friend: "We work with our rats every day and have been handling them since they first arrived here at less than a month old."
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California Science Center
She continues: "They are very used to us. This particular rat is one that I train (I am holding him) and so it seemed like he felt very comfortable on me and never tried to make a break for it! Since I am his trainer, I believe he associates me with reinforcements such as food, treats, and relationship because they are social animals."
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California Science Center
More from Keeper Alexa: "Pancake Tortoises are native to Kenya and Tanzania. They are crepuscular herbivores and get their name from their flat shells. This flat shell helps them to escape danger. In the wild, they will wedge themselves between rock crevices to evade predation!"
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California Science Center
"Their shell is also very light enabling them to run very fast! Pancake tortoises are Critically Endangered and their main threats are habitat destruction and over-exploitation in the pet trade."
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California Science Center
A handsome Red-Tailed Boa spent time in the center's Air + Space gallery. The snake is pictured next to the Mercury-Redstone capsule and the Apollo-Soyuz command module.
