Cutest Animals in the World

How many times have you looked at an email forward with pictures of kittens and puppies and exclaimed at their cuteness? Well, there are some animals that always manage to tug at our heart and make us coo in the same way that many people do when they see babies. Welcome to the world of the cutest animals. Not all cute and cuddly animals are small or tiny. In fact some of them are downright humongous, but their faces have the innocence of a two month old baby that contributes to their cuteness quotient.

List of Cutest Animals

Appeal of appearance is a very subjective thing and this is the reason why it is difficult to make an impartial list of the cutest animals. Therefore, in this article, we rank the top 5 cutest animals, according to us. These unusual animals though not rare, are not exactly very common. There is also a list of animals that feature on most lists of cute animals.

Red Pandas
An arboreal mammal, the red panda is just a little bigger than a domestic cat and features on the top of almost every list of the top 10 cutest animals. It has reddish brown fur and a shaggy tail. Surviving mainly on a diet of bamboo, the Red Panda also feeds on eggs, birds, insects and other smaller mammals. It is native to Himalayan temperate forests, found in Nepal, India, Myanmar, Bhutan and China. There are only about 2,500 Red Pandas found in the wild according to some official figures, but there are optimistic numbers touching 20,000 according to other estimates. Classified as vulnerable on the list of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, the Red Panda has two recognized sub species. According to a study conducted in 2006, there are almost 800 Red Pandas living in captivity.

Sea Otters
Found in the areas near northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean, these marine mammals are definitely among the cutest animals ever. Sea otters belonging to the weasel family are one of the heaviest among weasels, but they are among the smallest marine mammals. Although it can live on land, it is basically an aquatic animal with a very thick coat of fur that acts as its natural protection. The diet of sea otters generally comprises sea urchins, mollusks, fish and members of the crustacean family. Hunted for their fur, between 1741 and 1911, the population of sea otters fell to about 2000 but has improved in the recent past. It is still classified as an endangered animal though.

Polar Bears
These white furred bears native to the Arctic circle are at their cutest, when they are cubs. Its diet is primarily carnivorous and it is the largest land mammal weighing in the range of 700 - 1500 pounds, that preys on other animal. The body of this wild animal has adapted to the cold climes with a fur that protects them from extreme temperatures. They are called maritime bears as well because though born on land, they prefer spending time in the water. Another regular on the list of cutest animals, polar bears are also classified as vulnerable, especially due to poaching in the past and the current threat due to global warming. According to the IUCN, "If climatic trends continue, polar bears may become extirpated from most of their range within 100 years."

Giant Panda
Another member of the Panda family makes it to the list of the cutest animals. A large bear mostly found in China, it is differentiated by the large black patches around its eyes, ears and all over the body. The staple of its diet is bamboo, but it also feeds on honey, fish, yams, bananas, etc. Giant Panda bears are classified as endangered with just about 3000 individuals living in the wild and about 250 in captivity as zoo animals.

Dolphin
Marine mammals, dolphins are very close relatives of both, whales and porpoises. There are about forty species of dolphins found all over the world, generally in shallower sea waters. Dolphins are mainly carnivorous in nature and feed on fish and squid. Dolphins are widely known to be extremely intelligent and playful. Dolphins generally have a very strong eyesight and hearing abilities with the capacity to make out sounds at frequencies that are ten times more than the limit of human hearing.

Now that we know which are at the top of the list of the cutest animals on the planet, let us take a look at the other animals that generally make the list.

• Mandarin Duck
• Meerkats
• Chipmunks
• Leopard Geckos
• House Cats
• Hedgehogs
• Hummingbirds
• Koala Bears
• Hares
• Guinea Pigs
• Hamsters
• Mice
• Racoons
• Roe Deer
• Beavers
• Prairie Dogs
• Gophers
• Reeve's Muntjacs
• Sitatungas
• Squirrel Monkeys
• Senegal Galagos
• Angolan Talapoins
• Marmosets
• Penguins
• Canada Geese
• Hyraxes
• Kangaroo
• Squirrel
• Robins
• Salmon Crested Cockatoo
• Jackass Penguin
• Black Footed Ferret
• Tree Kangaroo
• Slow Loris
• Vancouver Island Marmot
• Black Lemur
• Hippopotamus
• Duck-Billed Platypus
• Chimpanzee
• Swan
• Dogs

There can never be a definitive answer to the question, what is cutest animal in the world, because the answer will always be subjective, but the animals listed above are some of the cutest animals which you would want to cuddle. These are the animals, which when you spot, you let out exclamations expressing your affection for them. Hopefully, you agree with our list. While cute, some of these animals are also ferocious, so try and resist the urge to pet a pit bull puppy, just because it looks at you with its puppy eyes and melts your heart.