When faced with adorable things, our brains release a chemical called dopamine that makes us feel happy. While we can’t travel and explore everything that nature has to offer right now, we’ve rounded up the cutest animals in the world to give you that much-needed dopamine hit.
1.Pika, North America and Asia
This adorable mountain-dwelling mammal is found in North America and some parts of Asia. With a round body and short, stumpy limbs, it seems to waddle more than walk, and is known to carry around small bunches of flowers to take back to its burrow to eat during the winter. When diving into its home, it often makes a high-pitched alarm call, earning it the nickname the ‘whistling hare’.
2.Quoll, Australia and New Guinea
Native to both Australia and New Guinea, this solitary marsupial is nocturnal and spends most of the day in its den. It can be identified by the distinctive white spots that are scattered across its typically brown coat. It was extinct from mainland Australia for 50 years until WWF began rehabilitating it in 2018.
3.Quokka, Western Australia
Recognise this little guy? Since the quokka has taken the internet by storm after being termed ‘the happiest animal in the world’, many tourists have travelled to Australia to snap selfies with this cheerful marsupial. Despite its happy smile, it is actually considered vulnerable to extinction due to habitat loss and human intervention.
4.Klipspringer, eastern and southern Africa
Nicknamed the ‘rock jumper’, the klipspringer spends its days hopping around cliffs in eastern and southern Africa, camouflaged against the mountains thanks to its greyish fur. It often mates for life, and tends to to stay within around five metres of its mate while coupled up.
5.Japanese weasel, Japan
Native to the Japanese islands of Honshū, Kyūshū and Shikoku, the Japanese weasel, Mustela itatsi, hunts along rivers and, in winter, under the snow, chasing small rodents. The weasel’s fur coat turns white during winter months, allowing it to camouflage itself in the snow.
6.Long-eared jerboa, China and Mongolia
Looking more like a very small rabbit than a rodent, the long-eared jerboa can be found in the grasslands and deserts between China and Mongolia. It’s only about 8cm long, but those huge ears make up a good portion of its body length, allowing it to hear predators very well, and hop off on its powerful hind legs like an absurdly sweet miniature kangaroo.
7.Slow Loris, South and Southeast Asia
You might recognise this adorable creature from your Instagram feed. In spite of its big, soulful eyes, teeny hands and super-slow movements, the slow loris is more dangerous than it looks. The only venomous primate, it has a toxic bite – if threatened by a predator it will lick a gland on its elbow, and the oil secreted mixes with its saliva to produce a poison. While the surge of fame has threatened the species’ survival by fuelling a trade in selling the animals as pets, when viewed from a safe and respectful distance, this delightful animal can continue to thrive in the wild.
8.Dik-dik, eastern Africa
Up to 45 centimetres tall and weighing a maximum of 16lb, this antelope is just as sweet as it sounds. The name comes from the repetitive ‘dik dik’ sound made by the female as she snorts through her heart-shaped, tubular nostrils.
9.Fennec Fox, North Africa
Looking more like a cartoon than an animal, the Fennec Fox has adapted to a life of high temperatures, sandy environments and little access to water. Its giant ears, twice the size of its face, help it to hear prey crawling around underground and dissipate heat in the daytime.
10.Japanese dwarf flying squirrel, Japan
Although it may sound made up, this squirrel can be found soaring around the tops of alpine forests in Japan. The nocturnal animal has a thin membrane of skin between its front and back legs, allowing it to glide seamlessly between treetops throughout the night.
11.Malayan flying lemur, Southeast Asia
Despite its name, this animal is not a lemur and it can’t actually fly. It’s quite a mover though – also known as the colugo, it is largely found in Southeast Asia, swooping between treetops, and has been known to glide for a distance of up to 230 feet.
12.Bilby, Australia
Also called greater bilby, dalgyte, or greater rabbit-eared bandicoot, this animal mainly lives in the deserts of north-western Australia. Known for its long snout, blue-gray fur and tall ears, the Bilby is also a marsupial, and the female has a pouch to hold her young.
13.Margay, Central and South America
Similar in appearance to the ocelot and the oncilla, the margay cat is native to Central and South America. This nocturnal cat has adapted to a life spent mainly in trees: it is the only cat that can rotate its hind legs 180 degrees, allowing it to run head-first down trees like a squirrel, and can hang from branches with its back feet. A tail that averages 70 per cent of its head and body length acts as a useful counterweight for balance.
14.Red panda, South and central Asia
Thanks to its short front legs, this colourful mammal is largely known for its adorable waddle. Contrary to popular belief, it is not actually part of the panda family – instead it is more closely related to raccoons, skunks and weasels. It is listed as endangered as there are currently fewer than 10,000 individuals left due to habitat loss, poaching and inbreeding.
15.Capybara, South America
This animal shot to fame after featuring in Sir David Attenborough’s Planet Earth II – it watched with an expression resembling pure shock as a jaguar brutally attacked and caught a caiman. The capybara is the largest rodent in the world and, similar to the beaver, it is a semi-aquatic mammal and a strong swimmer.
16.Mangalitsa, Hungary
Adored for its curly-haired coat, the mangalitsa (or ‘sheep pig’ as it is often called) is a Hungarian breed of domestic pig. Although typically bred as an animal to be farmed (it has a higher fat content than most other pigs, therefore producing a tastier cut of pork), the pig has won hearts across the globe, with many treating it as more of a pet than a food source.
17.Elephant shrew, Africa
Typically only 20-30cm long, the elephant shrew gets its name from its long, trunk-like nose. Found in southern African countries and also known as the sengi, it is one of the fastest of all small mammals, and has been recorded running at speeds of almost 18 miles per hour.
