Have you ever looked at a baby and thought “Awww…it’s so cute! It’s the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen” and then looked at the parents and thought “Huh? Where did the kid get his looks from?”. Well, maybe it’s just an advantage of being a baby. Baby things are cuter than fully-grown things. Period. Even inanimate objects are cuter when they’re small – those little cans of Coke, or a tiny bottle of chilli sauce that we once owned. So it’s no wonder that the animal world produces some very cute baby animals.
What is amazing, though, is that some of the cutest ones come from the ugliest parents. There are some spectacularly ugly animals out there, but somehow their little ones can draw an “Awww” from even the most cynical person. Just have a look at our Top 10 Ugly Animals with Cute Babies
10. Pigs
First up is the humble pig. There aren’t many creatures who can say they’ve given their name to a phrase about being ugly, but pigs…well, you could say they’re “pig-ugly”. Poor guys. It’s not easy having that turned up nose or an unflattering belly that drags along the ground. No wonder they’re shunned and bullied down at the farmyard.
But on the upside, their piglets are really cute! Just look at the two fellas above, with their pretend straw and blue-screen background. Dontcha just want to take them home? Feed them truffles and tickle their tiny tummies? You will, but only until they turn into grunting, bone-munching monsters.
9. Proboscis Monkeys
Now here’s an adult that’s been beaten with the ugly stick. The Proboscis monkey is a native of the mangrove swamps of Borneo and its unique digestive system gives it a comedy pot belly. Male Proboscis monkeys also have a particularly unattractive nose that’s meant to draw female Proboscis monkeys to them. It’s so big it hangs over their mouth and has to be pushed out of the way while eating. It also swells and turns red when they’re angry.
The females (pictured above) aren’t much better but again, their babies are just so cute! I like to think that the one in the picture is thinking “Is this going to be me in a few years? How does that happen? Should I start saving for monkey plastic surgery now?” Yes, baby monkey I’m afraid it’s true. And I can give you the number of a monkey plastic surgeon that’s very reasonable…
8. Elephant Seals
This seal pup – I think you’ll agree – is just adorable. It’s the kind of baby animal that adorned many a teenage girl’s wall in the 1990s (I don’t quite remember why…but we all had them). And many adult seals are pretty cute as well.
Not the elephant seal. These 4000-kilo pinnipeds are obviously attractive to their own kind, as each male has its own harem of 40-50 females. But it probably wouldn’t be quite so successful outside the Antarctic, due to its unusual looks. It has the kind of nose that rivals even the Proboscis monkey, hence being named after an elephant. Only elephants are majestic and impressive, whereas the elephant seal is just a bit strange. Sorry seal pup, your modelling days are numbered…
7. Sloths
“Sloth” isn’t an attractive word, is it? It’s not even the prettiest of the 7 deadly sins. And adult sloths certainly aren’t the prettiest animals. They have claws that belong on a witch in a fairytale book, and half-open eyes that give them that perma-dazed look. They live in the jungles of Central and South America, subsisting on leaves, when they’re not eating out of human latrines.
They’re also home to a number of smaller lifeforms, including algae and moths. Lovely! But there’s no resisting the charms of this baby sloth – with his big, cute eyes and tiny claws, it’s positively huggable.
6. Komondor Dogs
Aww…puppies! Who can resist a puppy? This one is certainly a cutie but the adult komondor dog is just a hairdresser’s nightmare. It has matted, off-white dreadlocks and looks a little like a pinata gone wrong. It’s like the dog ran off with the toilet roll and then rolled all around in it, until the toilet roll became it’s fur. A beautician’s nightmare…and yet still a pedigree dog. The Komondor Club of America describes the komondor as a “sight to behold.” to mentions that komondors have won several top awards. Strange world, huh?