3D-Printed Animal Brain Models

3D-model printouts of different animal brains. Image showcases (from left to right) 3D-printed brains of a pig, racoon, red fox, rabbit, guinea pig, marmoset, rat, and mouse.

Hope Berns 

Looking for a fun trinket to add your learning environment?

With a 3D printer and some filament, you can print out your own 3D renderings of different mammal brains, including models of a pig, racoon, red fox, rabbit, guinea pig, marmoset, rat, or mouse brain.  

These 3D brain models can be used for hands-on learning opportunities in the classroom — or as cool items to make a space more brain-y.

Access .stl files created using MRI data from several different animals, compatible with 3D printing software and 3D file viewers. The MRI scans were accessed through OpenNeuro and processed by BrainFacts. Be sure to adjust the scale of the 3D printouts from the STL file sizes provided.

Click on the image files below to reference final 3D brain printouts of each animal brain:

• Pig (3D print file | Image)
• Racoon (3D Print File | Image)
• Red fox (3D Print File | Image)
• Rabbit (3D Print File | Image)
• Guinea pig (3D Print File | Image)
• Marmoset (3D Print File | Image)
• Rat (3D Print File | Image)
• Mouse (3D Print File | Image)

Don’t have access to a 3D printer? You can still see these resources through an online viewer to explore the models digitally. Download the .stl files onto your device and upload them to manipulate the design and compare structure.

There is no “right” way to use these printables. But the discussion questions below offer starting points for dialogue in high school classrooms.

About the Author

Hope Berns

Hope Berns is the Outreach Associate for BrainFacts. She graduated from George Mason University in 2023 with a degree in Conflict Resolution.