Candid Cuties! Photos of Wild Animals on Wheels

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Wheel in the Wild

exercise wheel in the wild

(Image credit: Yuri Robbers)

Lab mice and rats run on wheels in captivity, but researchers wanted to know if the behavior is natural. To find out, they set out exercise wheels in wild areas.

Exercise Wheel

exercise wheel in the wild

(Image credit: Yuri Robbers)

Although the wheel looks like a cage, animals can come and go freely. [Read More About the Wild Wheel-Runners]

Mouse Running

wild mouse runs on a wheel

(Image credit: Yuri Robbers)

A wild mouse hops on one of the outdoor exercise wheels and takes a spin.

Frog on a Wheel

frog running on an exercise wheel

(Image credit: Yuri Robbers)

It wasn't only mice who appreciated the exercise wheels. Frogs, shrews and voles used the equipment, too.

Slug on the Wheel

slug runs on an exercise wheel

(Image credit: Yuri Robbers)

Even slugs and snails enjoyed taking the exercise wheels for a spin.

Wheel Experiment

an outdoor exercise wheel setup

(Image credit: Yuri Robbers)

Lead researcher Yuri Robbers (center) and associates set up an outdoor exercise wheel.

Stephanie Pappas
Stephanie Pappas
Live Science Contributor

Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.