10 – Pipefish
These thin fish belong in the same family as sea horses and
sea dragons. They are much
cuter, though, probably due to their nose-like snouts. Most live in salt water, but a few live in fresh water. Like sea horses, the male carries his partner’s eggs for quite some time.
Fun Fact: The love life of these fish is pretty varied. Some species
mate for life, some mate with several different partners, and some female members of various species mate with multiple partners at the same time.
9 – European Mole
These small Insectivores are covered in fur which hides most of their features… which is what makes them so
adorable. The European
Mole spends most of its life underground, digging tunnels and eating insects. They are well known for their poor
eyesight, which isn’t really needed underground. They may be cute, but they can cause problems for an unlucky gardener or farmer, as the Mole’s burrowing can damage crops and plants. Not to be confused with the rather ugly Star-nosed Mole.
Fun Fact: You can’t kill moles in Germany without a permit
8 – Kiwi
Not the fruit – the bird! These puffy birds native to
New Zealand are one of the thickest feathered birds around! The bird’s wings have been reduced to stubs over time, rendering them flightless, but they make up for that with their extraordinary sense of smell. They have a varied diet, consisting of insects, worms, leaves, and berries. There are five recognized species, all of which are endangered.
Fun Fact: Kiwi’s lay huge eggs for their size: up to 20% of their
body weight. That would be like a 150 pound woman giving birth to a 30 pound baby.
7 – Angora Rabbit
At first, you might think this animal is a giant ball of fluff, but there really is a rabbit in there. These large rabbits were bred specifically for the fluffiness. There are four recognized breeds, as well as several unrecognized breeds. They range from WTF fluffy (English), pretty fluffy (French, Satin) to large, but not super fluffy (Giant).
Fun Fact: Just
in case you didn’t realize how fuzzy these guys are, you can actually buy clothes and yarn made entirely of
Angora rabbit fur (with no harm done to the animal)
.
6 – Puffer Fish
These guys are quite cute at first, but once you startle them, you just want to poke them. This Family of fish (I couldn’t choose just one) is able to swallow water (or even air) quickly, so much so that they become spherical, scaring off predators. This often saves both of their lives, since most puffer fish species are poisonous. You should be safe as long as you don’t eat it, with proper preparation, it can be served as a dish (see Top 10 Poisonous Foods We Love To Eat – item 9). Not to be mistaken for their cousins, the porcupine fish (they are two separate families).
Fun Fact: Puffer fish have the smallest genomes in the vertebrate world.
Just paying the bills…
5 – African Pygmy Hedgehog
These mammals are the most adorable members the family Erinaceidae (mostly hedgehogs), even though it is filled with cute critters. You probably have seen one of these before or at least know how they look like. They are vaguely rodent-like mammals that have many small spines on their back. They can
roll into a ball to protect themselves. This particular hedgehog has been domesticated, so you can have one for a pet without too much trouble.
Now we’re getting to the hardcore stuff. These “sea cows” are really beefy, but really cute. So cute you want to hug it. Unlike whales and dolphins, manatees are herbivorous. Not surprisingly, they are related to elephants. They are endangered, partly due to a vicious, unnatural predator: the boat propeller.
Fun Fact: Manatee’s have vestigial (useless) toe nails on their flippers.
Most caterpillars are icky… except for these guys. This cute caterpillar is the larva form of the Isabella tiger moth. They eat a variety of plants, including certain ones that they eat to fight back against certain parasites. They may be furry, but don’t pet them without gloves, or else you might get a rash.
These things are amazingly adorable! The only member of the Cyclopedidae family (their scientific name is Cyclopes didactylus); these guys are a lot like the other anteaters, only they’re smaller and live in the trees. They also have a prehensile tail (like an opossum). Obviously, it is extremely cute, but watch out for their sharp claws.
Fun Fact: Why are silky anteaters goldish? It might be because they blend well with the seed pods of the silk cotton trees, where they usually hang around by.
