Let's start with an animal that anyone could definitely call cute. The Giant panda (or simply the panda) is known for its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. Although scientists do not know why these unusual bears are black and white, speculation suggests that the bold coloring provides effective camouflage in their shade-dappled snowy and rocky habitat and that their eye patches might facilitate them identifying one another. The thick, ...
woolly coat keeps pandas warm in the cool forests of their habitat. Another trick these adorable bears have been known to use in order to keep warm is to cover themselves in horse manure protecting themselves against cold temperatures. Less

Other champions of cuteness are native Australian marsupials. Koalas are stocky animals and are among the largest arboreal marsupials. Males are 50% larger than females and they are also distinguished from females by their more curved noses and the presence of chest glands, which are visible as hairless patches. Koalas live in open eucalypt woodlands, and the leaves of these trees make up most of their diet. Because of this eucalypt diet, ...
koalas are largely sedentary and sleep up to 20 hours a day. They are mainly active at night and spend most of their waking hours feeding. They typically eat and sleep in the same tree, possibly for as long as a day. When they need to move to another tree, koalas will descend to the ground and walk on all fours. Less

Fennec foxes live in the deserts of African and Israel. The most distinctive feature of these small creatures is their unusually large ears, which serve to dissipate heat. Their coat, ears, and kidney functions are also adapted to the desert environment with high temperatures and little water. Also, their hearing is so sensitive they hear prey moving underground. Fennec families dig out dens in the sand for shelter and protection. Their dens can ...
be very large, with up to 15 different entrances, and adjoin the burrows of other families. Less

Quokkas are marsupials and belong to the same family as kangaroos and wallabies. They are about the size of a domestic cat and live on some smaller islands off the coast of Western Australia. Although looking rather like a very small kangaroo, quokkas can climb small trees and shrubs up to 1.5 meters (4 ft 11 in). They are nocturnal animals; they sleep during the day and at night spend their time eating many types of vegetation. They chew their ...
cud, similar to cows. Another interesting fact about these adorable creatures is that in the mid-2010s, quokkas earned a reputation on the internet as "the world's happiest animals" and symbols of positivity due to their smiles. Less

Red pandas are arboreal carnivorans that are native to China. Despite their name, they are not closely related to Giant pandas. Red pandas have light faces with tear markings and white badges similar to those of a raccoon, but each individual can have distinctive markings. They are specialized as bamboo feeders and thus have strong, curved, and sharp semi-retractile claws which stand inward for grasping narrow tree branches, leaves, and fruit. ...
They also have a "false thumb", which is an extension of the wrist bone. When descending a tree head-first, the Red panda can rotate its ankle to control its descent; only a few climbing species are able to do. If Red pandas feel threatened or sense danger, they may try to escape by climbing a rock column or tree. If they can no longer flee, they stand on their hind legs to make themselves appear larger and use the sharp claws on their front paws to defend themselves. Red pandas even became a visitor attraction in Japan for their ability to stand upright for 10 seconds at a time. Less

Pikas are small, mountain-dwelling mammals that resemble their close relative, the rabbit, but with short, rounded ears. Pikas are also known as whistling hares because of their high-pitched alarm call when diving into their burrow. These little animals live in Asia and North America and prefer rocky slopes where they can eat various grasses, flowers, and young stems. The Large-eared pika of the Himalayas and nearby mountains lives at heights of ...
more than 6,000 m (20,000 ft), which is among the highest of any mammal! Pikas do not hibernate and usually spend time during the summer collecting and storing food for the winter. Each rock-dwelling pika stores its own ‘haypile’ of dried vegetation, however, burrowing pikas often share food stores with their burrow mates. Interestingly that many of the vocalizations and social behaviors that pikas exhibit are related to haypile defense. Less

These small fluffy creatures are native inhabitants of far Arctic regions. They are Arctic foxes, also known as White foxes, Polar foxes, or Snow foxes. They are well adapted to living in cold environments and are best known for their thick, warm fur that is also used as camouflage. Arctic foxes must endure a temperature difference of up to 90-100 °C (160-180 °F) between the external environment and their internal core temperature. To prevent h ...
eat loss, the Arctic fox curls up tightly tucking its legs and head under its body and behind its furry tail. This position gives the fox the smallest surface area to volume ratio and protects the least insulated areas. Arctic foxes also stay warm by getting out of the wind and residing in their dens. Less

North American porcupines are quill-covered rodents. Their ancestors crossed the Atlantic from Africa to Brazil 30 million years ago, and then migrated to North America during the Great American Interchange after the Isthmus of Panama rose 3 million years ago. The most distinguishing feature of these adorable creatures is their coats of quills. An adult porcupine has about 30,000 quills that cover all of its body except its underbelly, face, and ...
feet. Porcupines are the only native North American mammals with antibiotics in their skin. Those antibiotics prevent infection when a porcupine falls out of a tree and is stuck with its own quills upon hitting the ground. Porcupines fall out of trees fairly often because they are highly tempted by the succulent buds and twigs at the ends of the branches. Porcupines have strongly contrasting black-and-white coloration because they benefit from letting other animals know where and what they are in the dark of night. Less

Sand cats are small wild cats. They live in sandy and stony deserts far from water sources and their light fur perfectly blends with a desert environment. There are also other adaptations that help Sand cats survive in the desert. They have short ears which are set low on the sides of the head, aiding detection of prey moving underground and the long hair covering the soles of Sand cats' paws insulates their pads against the extremely hot and ...
cold temperatures in deserts. Sand cats usually rest in underground dens during the day and hunt at night. They move 5.4 km (3.4 mi) on average at night in search of small rodents and birds and in the Ténéré desert (a desert region in the south-central Sahara), these small fluffy predators have a reputation of efficiently killing venomous snakes. Less

Pygmy hippos are small relatives of the Common hippopotamus. They live in the forests and swamps of West Africa and spend most of the day hidden in rivers. They may rest in the same spot for several days in a row, before moving to a new spot and some individuals like to use dens or burrows that form in river banks. Rare nocturnal forest creatures, Pygmy hippos are difficult animals to study in the wild and they were unknown outside West Africa ...
until the 19th century. In Liberia, they were traditionally known as water cows. Several folktales have even been collected about the Pygmy hippopotamus. One tale says that Pygmy hippos carry a shining diamond in their mouths to help travel through thick forests at night; by day the Pygmy hippo has a secret hiding place for the diamond, but if a hunter catches an animal at night the diamond can be taken. Less

Ermine or stoats are small mustelids that live in Eurasia and the northern portions of North America. In summer, their fur is sandy-brown on the back and head and a white below. During the winter period, they become completely white except for the black tail-tip. These little creatures prefer to spend time on their own and are very territorial. They do not dig their own burrows for shelter and rearing young; instead, they like to use the burrows ...
of the rodents they kill. Ermine shelters can be located in rotting stumps, under tree roots, in heaps of brushwood, haystacks, in bog hummocks, in rock piles, rock clefts, among logs piled against the walls of houses, and even in magpie nests. Males and females live apart, but close to each other and each ermine has several dens dispersed within its range. Less

These squirrel-sized monkeys from South America are called Emperor tamarins. They were named for their resemblance to the German emperor Wilhelm II. Their outstanding long, white beard probably makes them the most adorable among tamarin species. In the wild, Emperor tamarins are very active and playful. They are social animals and even like to form mixed-species troops with Weddell's saddle-back tamarins and sometimes with Goeldi's marmosets. ...
Despite their size, Emperor tamarins are also quite vocal creatures. Their most common call is a long call which serves as a coordinating signal. These long calls are usually quite loud and can be heard by humans over 150 m away. When kept in zoos, Emperrero tamarins often show interesting behavior. According to the staff at the Jackson Zoo in Jackson, Mississippi, their Emperor tamarins display a need for tenderness. They love to be stroked by human hands and lie on their backs in order to indicate to their caretakers they are requesting more special attention. Less

White-tailed antelope squirrels live in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. They are usually active during the cooler parts of the day and try to avoid hot midday hours as much as possible. Ground squirrels are especially renowned for their tendency to rise up on their hind legs, usually whenever they sense nearby danger, or when they must scan their surrounding. They then curl their paws flat against their chest and send a ...
screeching call to warn other family members about the presence of predators. Less

Gerenuk are long-necked antelope that live in the drier parts of Africa. They live in small herds and spend most of the daylight hours eating the foliage of bushes or trees. Gerenuk are well known for their unique ability to reach the highest tree branches and twigs better than other gazelles and antelopes. They will stand erect on their hindlegs and elongate their neck; this helps gerenuk reach over 2 m (6 ft 7 in) above the ground! The pointed ...
mouth of these antelope also helps them to extract leaves from thorny vegetation. Less

These little delightful creatures are commonly found in arid, open habitats of southern Africa. They are called meerkats or suricates. They are very social animals and live in packs which may include up to 30 individuals. Packs live in rock crevices in stony areas and in large burrow systems in plains. Their burrows are typically 5 m (16 ft) in diameter with around 15 openings. While constructing or renovating burrows meerkats will line up to ...
form a continuous head-to-tail chain, break the soil into crumbs with their foreclaws, scoop it out with their forepaws joined and throw it behind them between their hindlegs. Meerkats also like to occupy the burrows of other small mammals more than constructing them on their own; they prefer to share burrows with Cape ground squirrels and Yellow mongooses. By the way, meerkats have been widely portrayed in movies and other media, and probably the most popular example is Timon from the "Lion King". Less

These are capybaras - the largest living rodents! They can be found only in South America. Capybaras are at home both on land and in water and prefer to live in forested areas near bodies of water. They are superb swimmers and can hold their breath underwater for up to 5 minutes at a time. They can also sleep in the water, keeping only their noses out. Capybaras don't like to be alone and usually live in groups of 10-20 individuals; however, you ...
can also see them in groups as large as 100 individuals when they gather around available water sources. When sensing danger or when females are herding their young, capybaras usually produce dog-like barks. Less

Raccoon dogs are dog-like carnivorans that are native to mainland East Asia and northern Vietnam. Despite their name, their closest relatives are the true foxes and not the American raccoons. Did you know that Raccoon dogs are the only members of the Canidae family that hibernate? In early winter, they increase their subcutaneous fat by 18-23% and their internal fat by 3-5%. In areas such as Primorsky Krai and their introduced range, Raccoon ...
dogs hibernate only during severe snowstorms. In December, their physical activity decreases once snow depth reaches 15-20 cm, and limits the range from their burrows to no more than 150-200 m. Raccoon dogs become more active again during February when the females are ready to reproduce and when food is more available. Less