The Frozen Zoo stores cells from over 8,000 individuals in these metallic containers. Each individual’s cells are stored at the Wild Animal Park and at the San Diego Zoo for precautionary purposes.

These small black lines are chromosomes, each holding the genetic make-up of an orangutan. There are 46 total. Can you find them all?!

Heidi Davis explains the many uses of PCR, or Polymerase Chain Reaction, like determining the daddy of a particular offspring.

This refrigerator no longer holds food (unless you’re a vampire) but DNA samples.

Lastly, Heidi Davis shows us how to perform gel electrophoresis. Each intern had the opportunity to try out this cool technology!

The tweezer-like beak and the flat feet of the white-headed lapwing help the bird survive in its indigenous habitat of tropical Africa, which has many insect-filled logs and muddy terrain.

The secretary bird, native to sub-Sahara Africa, has evolved over time to adapt to its grasslands habitat by developing legs that can grow up to three feet in height!

Although the California condor has one of the largest wingspans (about nine feet), its weight impairs it from a quick take-off and flying for a long period of time unless there is a strong current of wind.

Zoo Interns attempt to complete their topography map of an area behind Elephant Odyssey, which is a possible site for a quarantine pen.

Tod Chee, GIS specialist, explains to us the final steps of our topography graph

This is the finished topography map; the line of sight allows us to estimate what height the barrier should be.

Tod Chee shows us where our real line of sight would be, comparing the real thing with our topography maps

The drift net part of the trapping arrays are made so animals are guided into the pitfall traps instead of being lured in with food, which can cause animals to become dependent on the traps for a meal.

This lone millipede was the only animal that the group was able to find due to the weather that day being particularly cold causing most animals to hide in their homes.

Dr. Ross Burns, a clinical veterinarian at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, points our attention to the hoist system that brings injured animals into the hospital room

This hallway is completely flat so that animals are not injured when moving them from one place to the other.

This device, a push door, safely moves animals from surgery and treatment rooms into recovery rooms.

Hugs for all! This “hugs” horned animals so that Zoo vets can safely analyze the patient without getting injured or injuring the animal.

Lastly, Dr. Burns shows us his “space age” tranquilizer gun.

Dr. Burns shows exactly how long a Chameleons tounge’ can reach. Unfortunatley, the group did not get to wittness this incredible action because that particular Chameleon had already eaten a hardy lunch of mealworms.

It is amazing how something so small like the poison dart frog can be so toxic. However, it becomes possible to hold these amphibians when they are raised in captivity. Due to their change in diet, they lose all or most of their toxins.

Dr. Brett Burns shows the group a Giant gecko’s feet, which contrary to popular belief does not get its ability to climb on walls by suction but by creating an electrostatic attachment to surfaces.

Quite an abstract site to see, the 15 year old, two headed Lampropeltis getula californiae, (also known as the California Kingsnake) currently only has three eyes due to the two heads frequently getting into fights, as many siblings usually do.

Dr. Kagan focuses on the anatomy of the deceased lizard while Zoo interns classify internal organs.

Dr. Rachel Burns brings out a giraffe hoof that at one point caused the giraffe joint problems but is now used to teach about a common fatal joint problem in a variety of hoofed species.

The bravest of the interns step up to feel the lung, liver, and kidney from a deceased zebra.

Dr. Kagan draws our eyes to scarring on the kidney

Intern Mackenzie checks out the air separator, a device that separates mature seeds from any debris or light seeds in the sample.

After learning all of the steps in the seed packaging process, intern Natalie sifts seeds from other fragments of the plant.