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The Cutest Animals That You Have Likely Never Heard Of

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July 22, 2024

What is the first animal you think of when you hear the word cute?

A kitten? A puppy? A rabbit?

The adorable faces of dogs, cats, rabbits, and more, are some animals we see daily or weekly. We cherish them with love because of their cute looks and behaviors (most of the time).

However, life in this world is more diverse and rich than you think; there are numerous evolving generations of animals you probably don't know about!

Have you heard of jorunna parva? What about the black-footed cat? Or even a great eared nightjar?

To help expose your eyes to some of the cutest and adorable animals of fur, feathers, scales, and more, here is a list of the cutest animals around the world you've probably never heard of!

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1 - Sable

Image Credit: Е.Медведева from Wikimedia

The sable is a relatively small mammal with variation of coat color based on their location. Often found in burrows near riverbanks, they inhabit forests in Asia and are usually solitary and territorial.

They're sometimes mistaken for a pine marten due to the resemblances in general appearance and size; however, a sable has a shorter tail, longer ears, and does not have the “bib” marking on its chest.

Fun facts:

  1. In the medieval ages, the fur of a sable was highly sought for due to its softness and silkiness; in most cases, the fur would often be used to produce clothing.
  2. Primarily, sables hunt by sound and scent and are well versed climbers.

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2 - Rusty-spotted cat

Image Credit: David V. Raju from Wikimedia

The rusty-spotted cat is not only a mini feline but a daring and adventurous creature to make up for its size. Weighing only a few pounds, it is the smallest wild cat in Asia and holds the title of the world's smallest wild cat.

The only recorded habitats of the rusty-spotted cat are in parts of India and Sri Lanka in deciduous forests, grasslands, and evergreen forests that act to their advantage in hunting and hiding.

If you want to learn more about the rusty-spotted cat, here is a short video!

3 - Black-footed cat

Image Credit: Jonathan Kriz from Wikimedia

In 1824, this cat was discovered for its petite size and tiny stripes; this is the black-footed cat.

Also known as the small-spotted cat, it is the smallest wild cat in Africa, only being recorded in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, and is one of the smallest wild cats in the world.

It is listed as vulnerable in IUCN; however, this cat is an incredible hunter and has the highest hunting success rate compared to any wild cat in the world at about 60%.

To learn more about this incredible hunter, watch this short video about Gyra!

4 - Great eared nightjar

Image Credit: JJ Harrison from Wikimedia

This species of nightjar looks like a baby dragon in real life!

The great eared nightjar is one of the largest species of nightjars and is found in India and in parts of South(east) Asia.

Featuring a band of white around their neck/throat, shades and hues of browns and blacks are their color scheme.

The name “great eared nightjar” is not for nothing. They have long ear tufts which resemble the ears of a lynx. If you take a look at the great eared nightjar's scientific name “lyncornis macrotis", it means “long-eared lynx bird."

5 - European pine marten

Image Credit: Dani Kropivnik from Wikimedia

This adorable little animal is known as the European pine marten and is native to most of Europe, Asia Minor, Caucasia, and a few countries in the Middle East.

With similar size and general appearance to the sable, the European pine marten typically has lighter fur that can vary in length by season. They also have a distinctive yellowish-white colored “bib” marking on their throat/neck.

Fun facts:

  1. The European pine marten appears on various Croatian coins and is one of Croatia's national symbols.
  2. A European pine marten has sensitive ears which enables them to have an excellent sense of hearing.

6 - Glass frog

Image Credit: Charlie Jackson from Wikimedia

This minuscule frog, named the glass frog, is popular for its translucent and transparent abdominal skin that enables the view of organs and sites: heart, liver, gastrointestinal tract, etc..

Species of glass frogs are native to rain forests in Central America, inhabiting trees near rivers and streams.

Fun facts:

  1. Glass frogs perform gas exchange across their skin (cutaneous respiration), but this makes their skin sensitive to chemicals and other substances within water.
  2. Many glass frog species are considered threatened to some degree by the IUCN for reasons such as but not limited to: exotic pet trade, habitat loss, and climate change.
  3. Due to their skin transparency, they are very effective at “edge diffusion."

7 - Jorunna parva (Sea bunny)

Image Credit: Rickard Zerpe from Wikimedia

This may look like a minuscule white puff, but this is jorunna parva. The sea bunny.

Mainly found attached to submerged vegetation off coasts of Japan and the Philippines, jorunna parva spend the majority of their time at the bottom of tropical waters.

On average, they are about 1 cm in length and have these protruding black and white rhinophores that resemble the ears of a rabbit or bunny. These rhinophores led jorunna parva to fame in 2015, gaining the nickname “the sea bunny.”

To learn more about the sea bunny, click here!

8 - Bee hummingbird

Image Credit: galihampshire from Wikimedia

This hummingbird is so small it is often mistaken for a bee!

The bee hummingbird, also known as zunzuncito or Helena hummingbird, is only found in Cuba and holds the title of the world's smallest living bird.

On average, they only weigh about 2 to 2.5 g and are round and plump.

Fun Facts:

  1. The wings of the bee hummingbird make a sound similar to the buzzing of a bumblebee, hence the name.
  2. This species of hummingbird can live up to seven years in the wild and up to ten years when in captivity.

9 - Malagasy hognose (snake)

Image Credit: Bernard DUPONT from Wikimedia

The Malagasy, a type of hognose snake, has an adorable upturned snout.

This cute and relatively harmless species of snake gets its name from where it can be found: the island of Madagascar.

Fun facts:

  1. The Malagasy will mimic the actions of a cobra or bearded dragon when it feels threatened to appear more intimidating.
  2. Locals in Madagascar have superstitions about the Malagasy; however, the Malagasy is quite harmless to humans.
  3. They are the largest hognose, growing up to 130 to 180 cm (4 to 6ft) when mature.

10 - Tanuki

Image Credit: Triplec85 from Wikimedia

The tanuki looks like a dog with a fur pattern similar to that of a raccoon, which gives the tanuki its nickname the “Japanese raccoon dog.” Despite the name, the Japanese raccoon dog is neither a raccoon nor a dog, instead belonging to the canid family of animals like dogs, wolves, foxes, and more.

The tanuki (different from the common raccoon dog) is isolated to Japan and has a rich history of folklore and legend; they're popular for various supernatural tales, literature, and art, and were even rumored about in the ancient times of Japan.

Fun Facts:

  1. References to the tanuki in pop culture are not that uncommon. In some of Nintendo's video games, Mario can wear a “tanooki suit” and is given specific power ups referencing tanuki mythology.
  2. The tanuki has reached up to 13 years of life in captivity; however, they are more suited to live only 7 to 8 years in the wild.

Closure

At the end of the day, these animals are adorable in their own unique ways.

Who knew a snake with an upturned snout could look so cute? Some of the tiniest cats in the world are so delicate yet fierce! A frog with a transparent underside? So captivating and mesmerizing!

After reading this article, I hope you have discovered a new animal that has caught your eye!

Kalyn Jorgensen
1,000+ pageviews

Kalyn is a sophomore attending high school in Wisconsin. She is a Literary Editor for NOVA, the literary magazine of Write4Change. When she is not swamped with school, she enjoys writing, poetry, reading, badminton, photography, listening to music, playing violin, kalimba, and cello, and hanging out with her friends!

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