8 Extremely Cute Animals You Didn't Realize Existed but Some of Which Might not Exist Soon
This is something that I love to show people, but have never created any sort of formal list for. Probably my second favorite category of content on Instagram, preceded closely by makeup videos, is cute animals. And if you are one of the somewhat rare individuals who follows those obscure science meme pages, national park accounts, and environmental activism pages, then you are blessed to see cute animals that most people have never even heard of. I posted something about it on my Instagram, but I've never drafted anything seriously. What will follow is a numbered list (not in any particular order) of my favorite ones.
But wait, there's more! See, you get to see how amazingly, adorable some of these animals are, but this isn't just about that. Many of these animals are endangered, so you will also be reminded of the choking influence the human race continues to have on the Earth, in an effort to play my part in raising awareness about the dire nature of the environmental situation we find ourselves in.
Without further ado, let's get into some cuteness.
1. Pangolin (Pholidota)
https://www.pangolinsg.org/pangolins/
Pangolins are small anteaters that are known for their extremely unique hard keratin scales, which, as seen above, covers their entire body, and which they largely use for defense. They are found in Asia and Africa. They live in trees and burrows, and are nocturnal.
They're like anteaters, but they're armadillo-ified. There was once a delightful Google Doodle game about them for Valentine's day, since they mate for life, and you can play it here.
https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/what-is-a-pangolin
They are also, it might alarm you to learn, the most heavily trafficked animal in the world, due to their coveted meat and scales, as well as victims of habitat loss from deforestation. Of all 8 species of pangolin still in existence (some have gone extinct in recent years) every single one is endangered, and some critically.
2. Sand Cat (Felis margarita)
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/video-captures-african-sand-cat-kittens-first-time-180965236/
This is probably my favorite one, because it's a kitty cat, but also because it is outrageously cute. The sand cat is the only wild cat to live truly in the desert. They are distributed throughout the Middle East, Asia, and northern Africa. They are most closely related to the black-footed cat, pictured below, which is also extremely cute (especially 'cause it's a cat 😍) and also declining in numbers because of habitat encroachment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-footed_cat
The sand cat is listed as declining because the population is fragmented and on a declining trend.
3. Dik dik (Madoqua)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds4J42JsD7E
A small bush antelope native to Africa, the dik dik is named for the sound the smaller female dik dik makes when it is alarmed. It is quite literally living Bambi. They have specially elongated snouts with a lot of blood vessels that cools them off and allows them to withstand the extreme temperatures they are exposed to. They are herbivores and their diet consists largely of brush and berries. Thankfully, their conservation status is listed as a least concern.
4. Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus)
http://mentalfloss.com/article/558584/rare-tree-kangaroo-new-guinea-was-just-seen-first-time-90-years
Look at it! It's tongue is sticking out! It looks like a Pokemon! Tree kangaroos are marsupials that inhabit Papua New Guinea and the forests of northern Queensland, as well as some islands in between. They evolved from a floor-dwelling marsupial called a Pademelon, which more closely resembles a smaller, rabbit-like kangaroo. They are omnivorous, but their diet mainly consists of tree leaves and berries. They are endangered due to hunting and habitat destruction.
5. Fennec Fox (Vulpes zerda)
https://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/fennec-fox/
Ohhh... my... GOODNESS. The fennec fox is a crepuscular fox found in the Sahara, the Sinai Peninsula, The Arava Desert, and the Arabian Desert. It is defined by it's large ears, which are a mechanism of cooling. It mainly eats insects, small mammals, and birds. It is listed as a least concern.
I would give up something pretty serious to be able to touch one of these.
6. Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum)
https://quarkmag.com/are-axolotl-the-key-to-everlasting-life-b4b35c9649a5?gi=3d023d582219
Again, a Pokemon in real life. The axolotl, or Mexican walking fish, is a neotenic salamander found in several lakes underlying Mexico City. They reach their adult stage without undergoing metamorphosis, and are used extensively in research because of their ability to regenerate limbs. In 2010, they were near extinction due to water pollution and the introduction of invasive species to Mexico City. Their numbers have since risen because of efforts by Mexican authorities to create "axolotl shelters" and conserve habitat.
7. Quoll (Dasyurus)
https://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/6075249/attempt-to-reverse-extinction-of-eastern-quoll-on-mainland-australia/
The quoll is a carnivorous marsupial native to Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania. They are primarily nocturnal and typically solitary, mostly eating small mammals birds, lizards, and insects. Their numbers declined rapidly with the colonization of Australasia by Europe, and they are currently listed as endangered. The major threats to their survival are predation, urban development, and poison baiting.
Notice how many of these things are found almost entirely in Australia. Things over there are really something else. This is a squirrel, but way cooler looking and also dangerous.
8. African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus)
https://www.tripsavvy.com/african-wild-dog-1454120
The dumbo of the African grasslands, the African wild dog is the largest of its family, and an extremely social creature. It follows a hyper-carnivorous diet, mainly chowing on antelope that it hunts by chasing them to exhaustion. They are classified as endangered, and the population continues to decline due to habitat fragmentation, human persecution, and disease.
So that's it. Now you too can be blessed with the knowledge that these cyooties exist.
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