Be on the lookout for one of these critters on your next visit to one of the U.S. Department of Energy's 17 National Labs, where scientists aren't the only creatures lurking in the night (and day).
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“BOO!”
A message from this red-tailed hawk at Brookhaven National Laboratory.
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S-S-Seriously Scary
Don't mess with this tangle of diamondback rattlesnakes at Sandia National Labs.
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Hi, Felicia
If you were hoping for something a little more cuddly, meet Felicia the ferret. Felicia diligently cleaned the pipes of a research facility at Fermilab in the 1970s.
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Beastly Bison
While Fermilab said bye to Felicia decades ago, these bison still roam the lab's 6,800 acres. Don't turn your back, though...they weigh up to 2,500 pounds and can run up to 30 mph.
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Harry's Patronus?
Visitors to Argonne National Laboratory are sometimes startled by the white deer roaming the site and occasionally speculate on the nature of the experiment that produced their unusual coloring. We're told it's in fact totally natural, but who among us can be sure?
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What Lies Beneath
We hope these rainbow trout are the only things prowling the depths at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Can you spot the one with the ghostly eye?
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Coyote Not-So-Ugly
The steely-eyed glare of this coyote at Argonne National Laboratory is a signal to beware!
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Not Bambi!
This little fawn may be small, but she certainly isn't afraid of what lurks in the darkness at Berkeley Lab.
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"I'm not here to make friends."
This box turtle at Brookhaven National Lab would like you to stay away, thank you very much.
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Look Away
Next time you’re at Los Alamos National Laboratory, keep an eye out for this sneaky feline. You can bet its eyes are on you.
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Run!
These goats at Berkeley Lab are always popular. But did you ever wonder what they might be running from?
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Terrifying Trash
This bear at Los Alamos National Laboratory will stop at nothing to terrorize the...garbage truck.
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"Where's the lab?"
Alright, maybe the creatures of the National Labs aren't so terrifying after all. Just look at this curious young buck!
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Peek-A-Boo
We’ll leave you with this friendly creature from Hawkins National Lab that definitely wants to meet you. Don’t worry, it’s for science!
Image: Netflix.
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Just Kidding
Hawkins Lab isn’t real, and we don’t mess with monsters like in “Stranger Things." But this eagle is actually helping the National Renewable Energy Laboratory make wind turbines safer for birds. While that's a lot less scary, we still don't advise crossing paths with a predator like this one.