Two images, one of brown mouse with paw on a lever and the other of a white mouse with paw on lever

©AUGUSTIN LIGNIER PHOTOGRAPHY

Say Cheese!

Humans aren’t the only ones who take selfies. Two rats named Arthur and Augustin learned to take them too—with the help of French photographer Augustin Lignier.  

Lignier put the rats in a tall, clear box with a camera attached to it. When they pressed a button inside the box, the rats were rewarded with sugar. At the same time, the camera took a photo. The rats’ selfies were then displayed on a screen in front of them. 

Before long, Arthur and Augustin continued to press the button even when they didn’t get any sugar as a reward. They ended up taking hundreds of photos. Lignier says seeing the rats take selfies was “magical.” 

Text-to-Speech