Baby Animal – According to psychologists, there’s a deep-rooted biological reason humans find baby animals so adorable. Even babies of animals that grow into ferocious predators trigger a powerful protective instinct in humans.
Baby animal make people feel good. To help brighten your day, here are some fun facts about the top five cutest baby animals.
Baby Sloths | Baby Animal
During its first several months, baby sloths cling to their mother as she slowly moves about the tree canopy. Even though baby sloths are built to withstand falls of up to 100 feet, they are at risk when they fall because it takes the mother sloth so long to get to the baby.
Sometimes, when baby sloths fall, humans find them before their mothers can reach them. The babies get taken to rescue centers. To reunite the baby sloths with their mothers, rescue centers record the baby’s cries and play them over a loudspeaker in the area where the baby sloth was found.
Baby Hedgehogs
Even adult hedgehogs don’t get very big, and baby hedgehogs are tiny, which makes them even cuter. Baby hedgehogs are only about 4 inches long and weigh less than 10 grams.
Baby hedgehogs, called hoglets or urchins, cry when they are hurt or in danger. But that’s not the only sound they make. They also snort like hogs, which they are named after, and quack like ducks. When they are in danger, they hiss to scare off predators.
Baby Otters
Adult otters are one of the most adorable animals on the planet, so it’s no surprise that their babies are also extremely cute. Otters are fascinating, intelligent animals that love to play and cuddle. Some of the most endearing pictures of animals with their young are of otter parents cuddling their babies. It’s enough to make anyone’s heart melt.
At sea, otters will join together to rest in large groups called rafts. When they are on land, a group of otters is called a romp, which is a testament to how playful they are.
Baby Seahorses | Baby Animal
Another aquatic creature that has cute babies is the seahorse. Seahorses have a fascinating reproductive cycle, where the mother seahorse lays eggs in the father’s brood pouch. This pouch is similar to the kangaroo’s, except once the babies are released, they don’t return.
It’s unique enough that father seahorses deliver the babies, but what makes this even more incredible is that he can deliver up to 2,000 babies at once! The babies are on their own as soon as they are born, but they cling to each other using their tails and float together in small groups.
Baby Elephants
Apparently, size has little to do with how cute a baby animal is because baby elephants are one of the world’s largest and most adorable baby animals. At birth, baby elephants stand about 2.5 feet tall and weigh 230 pounds, which makes them larger than most humans.
Elephants have a long gestation period, about 22 months. Scientists think the reason for the lengthy gestation period is that elephants have large, complex brains. Sadly, elephants are an Endangered Species, and the number of babies being born in zoos is declining. Biologists are researching the captivity of elephants to figure out the reasons for the declining birth rates and high infant mortality.
Less than 50,000 wild elephants are left on the planet, which is significantly less than a hundred years ago. Without increased awareness about declining elephant populations, there could be fewer and fewer adorable baby elephants.
Help Raise Awareness About Endangered Animals
Several of the world’s cutest baby animals are born to Endangered Species. You can help raise awareness about declining animal populations by talking to friends, sharing information about Endangered Species, and volunteering with organizations that fight climate change.
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