Unusual Animal Babies That Are Surprisingly Cute
The internet is practically made for sharing adorable animal pictures. But listen, we’ve all seen a thousand cute kittens and puppies by now. Bunnies and calves are old news as well. While those little guys were stealing all the limelight, tons of other animal tots were waiting for you to notice how sweet they are. Ever seen how freaking cute a baby screech owl is? How about a newborn anteater? We’re here to champion the often-overlooked babies of the animal kingdom. Just because their parents aren’t the most beautiful, doesn’t mean they don’t deserve our attention!
White-handed gibbon
The huge, bottomless eyes, the adorable hair, and look at the little sweater! Knuppy here’s a perfect example of how cute baby white-handed gibbons can be, but you’re unlikely to come across one in the wild. Unless you live in south-east Asia, that is, and even then they don’t come with the knitwear!
Knuppy’s a resident of a zoo in Bremen, Germany, and in this picture he’s just three months old. Aww! Perhaps they’re so cute because they closely resemble human babies in proportion, but whatever the reason, we just can’t resist that innocent little smile.
Screech owl
Chicks are among the most adorable baby animals, and although you usually think of little yellow ducklings or chicklets, owl young are no exception. New York’s Sweetbriar Nature Center rescued this particular one, and his bad day probably explains the grumpy expression!
But mostly the owlet’s parents care for them until they’re old enough to leave the nest. Speaking of which, do you notice how this cute little fluff-ball looks like a nest itself? That’s because screech owls have natural camouflage. Even as adults, their underbellies are bark-colored to blend in with their forest homes.
Platypus
This baby platypus — otherwise rather cutely known as a puggle — is from Taronga Zoo in its native country, Australia. Platypuses are so unusual-looking that when they were first reported in the pre-1800s, Europe thought they were a hoax! We’re not teasing you though, platypuses really are this lovable.
The wondrous thing about them is they have elements from other animal groups — electric prey detection like fish, lactation like mammals,and egg-laying like birds. The males even have venomous spurs like reptiles. So resist the urge to hug these cute little critters!
Raccoon
Sure, you might not want them rooting through your trash, but If you’ve ever seen a raccoon eat, you’ll know it’s one of the cutest things in the world. They hold food to nibble with their little hands, it’s so sweet! The babies are called kits, and they’re even more heart-melting.
And while masks usually disguise identities, we recognize racoons by their little bandit-mask eye markings. Well, kits don’t get those until they’re around two-and-a-half, so you might not know a raccoon kit when you see one! The black mask absorbs light, so they can see better in the dark.