Nature Lab

Los Angeles is a hotspot of biodiversity and you can find this nature all around you. Use the tools of a scientist in our large, hands on lab to discover the incredible stories of L.A.’s wild plants and animals. Spot local spiders, snakes, rats, and frogs as they scurry, slither, and splash through our many live-animal habitats and learn how your own observations can help museum researchers better understand the natural world around us.

Along the way, you'll:

• Look at yourself the way a rattlesnake “sees” you with our heat sensing mirror.

• Talk to a real scientist or have a “Rat Chat” with a furry rodent.

• Meet live animals in in one of the museum’s daily live animal presentations, such as Odin the owl, Bean the tarantula, or Willow the gopher snake.

This exhibition includes live animals. Did you know the museum has a professional animal care team on site 365 days a year? They take excellent care of all animals on exhibit at the museum, utilizing the natural history expertise of our scientists as well as our veterinarian, who advises on any medical and nutritional needs. Because even a frog needs a doctor sometimes.