LIFE - Bikini Atoll Animal Tests

Fire in the Sky

Sun, 01 Jan 1956 03:00:00 EST

A fireball erupts after a nuclear bomb test blast over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific in 1956. The U.S. military also used the Bikini tests to research the effect of radiation on animals.

Back From Bikini

Tue, 01 Jan 1946 03:00:00 EST

Pig 311 and Goat BO Plenty arrive back from Bikini Atoll, where they were exposed to radioactive fallout during atomic weapons testing. Both animals were mascots of the animal-laboratory ship USS Burleston.

Radioactive Sheep

Tue, 03 Jun 1947 04:00:00 EDT

Sheep that survived the Bikini atom-bomb test are studied for radiation harm. Thousands of animals were brought to the atoll and placed on various ships in various positions to study the effects of radiation.

This Rat Is a Survivor

Fri, 26 Dec 1947 03:00:00 EST

A rat that was irradiated during the Bikini tests is studied for radiation harm. More than 3,000 rats were placed on various target ships around Bikini Atoll for the second test, an air explosion codenamed Able. All the rats were placed outside the lethal zone so future generations could be studied for mutations, but some of them died anyway.

Unhappy Monkeys

Wed, 24 Dec 1947 03:00:00 EST

Monkeys that survived the Bikini Atoll atomic bomb tests are tested at the National Institute of Health a year later. The primary purpose of the tests was to see how nuclear blasts affected naval ships.

Patient Critical

Mon, 01 Jul 1946 04:00:00 EDT

A male angora goat receives a blood transfusion aboard the laboratory ship USS Burleson after being exposed to an atomic blast at Bikini Atoll.

Are Those Natural, or Radiation Spots?

Tue, 03 Jun 1947 04:00:00 EDT

Atomic Mouse

Fri, 26 Dec 1947 03:00:00 EST

A mouse from the Bikini test perches on a surface.

No Superpowers for This Atomic Rat

Fri, 26 Dec 1947 03:00:00 EST

A rat from the Bikini Atoll tests presses against a dropper. Nearly all the rats in the second test, an underwater explosion codenamed Baker, died.

Radiation Rats in a Jar

Fri, 26 Dec 1947 03:00:00 EST

Rats that survived the Bikini test are held for observation in a glass jar.

We're Never Sailing Again

Wed, 01 Jan 1947 03:00:00 EST

Monkeys that survived the Bikini tests stick to their corner of a cage.

Guinea Pig in All Senses of the Term

Fri, 26 Dec 1947 03:00:00 EST

A guinea pig from the Bikini test is studied at the National Institute of Health. The Able blast killed 10 percent of the animals immediately, and 15 percent by radioactivity, followed by another 10 percent that died later.

Bikini Goat a Year Later

Tue, 03 Jun 1947 04:00:00 EDT

A goat from Bikini is tested a year later. One goat on the USS Nevada, nearly a half mile away from the Able bomb when it detonated, died of radiation four days after the blast even though it was inside a gun turret shielded by armor plate.

Feeding an Irradiated Mouse

Fri, 26 Dec 1947 03:00:00 EST

A Bikini mouse feeds after the bomb tests. Mice are a favorite of labs because of their high reproduction rate, their low cost, small size, and general physiological similarity to humans.

Meet a Bikini Survivor

Fri, 26 Dec 1947 03:00:00 EST

A rat from Bikini Atoll at the National Institute of Health a year after the tests.

Sheep Under Observation

Wed, 24 Dec 1947 03:00:00 EST

One of 200

Wed, 01 May 1946 04:00:00 EDT

A man prepares a mouse for a Bikini test in May 1946.

Going to Need More Than Salve

Mon, 01 Jul 1946 04:00:00 EDT

A test goat is carefully dried with a towel before anti-burn salve is applied.

Grabbing the Atomic Age by the Horns

Mon, 01 Jul 1946 04:00:00 EDT

A goat is sheared on a Navy vessel before it's subjected to an atomic-bomb test. In all, 204 goats were brought to be targets of nuclear blasts and radiation in the Bikini Atoll experiments.

Life Isn't the Same Anymore

Wed, 01 Jan 1947 03:00:00 EST

Goats that survived the Bikini Atoll test settle into more conventionally goat-like surroundings.