Michael Phelps, the former Olympic swimmer who holds the record for most Olympic medals of all time, recently attended Liberty Science Center’s new Rat Olympics in support of our furry friends.

“When I heard LSC was doing their own Olympics, I got so excited,” Phelps said. “But then I heard it was Rat Olympics and my jaw dropped. A lot of people are scared of rats, but I think they’re really cool.”

Phelps clapped and cheered as our Norway rat showed off his natural abilities by leaping over a hurdle, crawling across a rope, and diving into a pool of foam noodles.

“It’s a good thing I retired last year, because I wouldn’t want to face off against these guys,” Phelps said. “I had to train really hard to get my medals, but rats are so naturally good at adapting in the wild. It’s really impressive.”

Many of our guests were surprised to find Phelps was in attendance. Despite his worldwide fame as one of the most recognizable and accomplished athletes, all the attention was on our rat. Phelps even commented that “no one asked for my autograph, sadly.”

Despite their name, Norway rats originated in northern China and can be found today on every continent in the world except Antarctica. These rats are highly intelligent and their learning ability has been thoroughly studied by psychologists.

Just like Phelps, you can check out the Rat Olympics every Saturday and Sunday at LSC. Learn more about the 110 species that we have in our Eat and Be Eaten gallery.

Oh, and happy April Fool’s Day, by the way!