Top 10 Most Underrated Yet Adorable Animals
Although a list of Top Ten Most Underrated Animals exists, this list mainly focuses on the cute factor on animals that are either overlooked, obscure, or underappreciated for their looks.
The koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the wombats. Oh and before you call this animal a "cute little bear", this is actually a marsupial. An interesting fact about them is that they rarely drink any water, hence its name means "no drink" Despite being symbolic in Australia it's pretty much underrated in the rest of the world. I could also argue that baby koalas are much cuter than some of the most popular animals.
Sloths are mammals classified in the families Megalonychidae and Bradypodidae, including six extant species. Noted for their slowness of movement, they spend most of their lives hanging upside down in the trees of the tropical rainforests of South America and Central America. Very overlooked with very unique characteristics. Don't let its "laziness" deceive you - despite having less muscle mass than humans its strength surpasses the average person several times and can move pretty quick; it is also capable of lifting themselves with just an arm. I could argue baby sloths are much cuter than some of the most popular animals. Did I also forget that sloths have an adorable high pitched scream?
Ah yes, I do believe that this is deserving of #1.
Rather more of an obscure animal but one of the most cutest in the mustelidae family. You'd be lucky encountering this animal when in a hike in parts of Canada, Alaska or any other land that has martens. Sadly they are killed for their fur. While it's tempting to have it as a pet, they are often finicky and often live a solitary life, not to mention their scent resemble much like skunks.
One of the exotic animals that reside in Southeast Asian countries. It has big eyes, that's a defining characteristic of what makes something cute. What's interesting is that they can also turn their heads like owls (180 degrees) Sadly they are considered an endangered species.
This makes more sense as to why it's underrated since they are portrayed as villains of the chicken farmers; they're almost snake-like creatures that are fearless of killing almost anything in their path, while managing to stay adorable at the same time. Much like the marten they cannot be kept as pets, as it's also illegal if you live in the U.S.
Its happy and sociable demeanor makes it a very ideal pet, but it's mostly nocturnal so that's a downer for early birds. Unlike many animals they aren't shy to approach people. Sadly there's very unfortunate news that the fact is you can't really touch nor feed quokkas as they can transmit diseases, not to mention feeding or even touching those little critters can lead to a fine or a prison sentence. Oh and they can also bite. Nonetheless they're very cute to see.
A small, carnivorous mammal found mainly in Africa and parts of Asia, the mongoose is known for its agility and speed. It feeds primarily on insects, small animals, and is famous for its ability to combat venomous snakes. One of the more interesting animals. They come off as exceptional snake fighters (including the king cobra) and are as agile as cats. Though it's not a weasel it's a highly skilled hunter and are smaller than cats. It's also one of the few animals that are capable of using tools.
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus. Rats are seen as disease spreading creatures, but they are actually very clean and also happen to be clean freaks. Consider this an underrated pet - they're sociable, curious, smart, and pretty easy to get along. Basically a miniature version of a dog. Sadly they live pretty short lives thus leaving little time for long-term relationships.
Maybe I would find them cute but they break into your house and eat your food and more importantly they eat native bird eggs. Also I have read a book where the main character finally breaks when threatened by the possibility of being eaten by rats (I won't spoil which one if you haven't read it) so there are just too many negative associations in my head for them.
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera. With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out digits covered with a thin membrane or patagium. The smallest bat, and... read more They are very cute though it varies between species. They make up a quarter of all mammals, providing a wide variety of creatures to find cute.
They are the perfect blend of what makes cute and what makes scary. They also function as a mosquito "vacuum cleaner" too (eats over a thousand mosquitoes an hour) - mostly ideal if you live in a tropical country where mosquitoes are common. Unfortunately they can carry rabies so it's really not worth having a flying companion in your side.
What's surprising about them is that they are the only mammal that's known to be covered with scales, and are closely related to cats and dogs instead of the similar looking armadillo. Its behavior when it's threatened is pretty adorable. Like armadillos they curl up into a ball when they are threatened. Though unfortunately they are one of the most hunted animals sought by humans for their scales.
They're cute, but people seem to tend to forget they're a thing.
While cats are universally liked, this wild cat is slightly obscure. They are much like cats, although a bit larger than that of an average house cat.
The capybara is the largest rodent in the world. It is a member of the genus Hydrochoerus, of which the only other extant member is the lesser capybara. They are seen as cute but they're more unique than you think. You want to know a bizarre fact about this animal? They eat their own feces. This is because their own feces are high in protein
Do people not care about these adorable porpoise? This is the worst thing to happen in nature! Let alone God said to take care of the earth.
Super cute but super rare. Sadly the world only has under 10 of these animals as of 2022.
It looks very cute, and I just learned it's a thing.
The sugar glider is a small, omnivorous, arboreal, and nocturnal gliding possum belonging to the marsupial infraclass. They're more overlooked. As adorable as it is they cannot be kept as pets unfortunately especially when kept alone. Either way they are of high maintenance as they are not meant to be domesticated
A felid, but not a feline. Most of the time you hear about it smelling of popcorn when it's brought up, but not about its cuteness.
Also known as the bearcat. If you like popcorn prepare to be disappointed, as we are tempted by the smell we usually assume that popcorn is cooking nearby. Strangely the binturong smells much like buttered popcorn.
Porcupines are rodentian mammals with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that protect against predators. Not only do they look cute, did you know that their quills have antibiotic properties?
If you didn't think octopuses can be cute look no further. It's also called "adorabilis" which is the latin word for "adorable" so of course it should be in this list. Sarcasm or not it really fits considering how small it is
Also known as the dumbo octopus- and it is quite cute.
Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorpha (or Selachii) and are the sister group to the rays. However,... read more Really depends on the species.
Whale sharks and nurse sharks are pretty cute.
Some smaller species like the silvertip and the dogfish are pretty cute.
Hammerheads are more goofy.
Great whites and similar shape aren't all that cute, but are cool.
Rays, which are a relative of sharks, are cute and cool.
I should've added this way sooner. Their wide eyes and their partly open mouth gives them this "clueless" expression which I find oddly cute (speaking for most species)
We, people, kill more sharks then sharks to humans. So inhumane to call out these majestic creatures.
A hedgehog is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. Their face is really similar as the weasel; perhaps you can call this a spiked weasel, though that's incorrect since they belong to a different family.
They are pretty small "owlets", which is a defining trait of what we find cute. Not as underrated but more obscure.
Rarely hear of this animal, but is clearly quite cute.
The raccoon, sometimes spelled racoon, also known as the common raccoon, North American raccoon, northern raccoon and colloquially as coon, is a medium-sized mammal native to North America. Getting more popular these days alongside the opossum, but not necessarily the first guy to come up when discussing cute things.
Lemurs are a clade of strepsirrhine primates endemic to the island of Madagascar. The word "lemur" derives from the word lemures (ghosts or spirits) from Roman mythology and was first used to describe a slender loris due to its nocturnal habits and slow pace, but was later applied to the primates on... read more Obviously when you think of Madagascar, this animal may be the first one to come up in mind. They also play a large role in regenerating forests due to seeds that stick on their fur. As also, the seeds they eat change into plants.
Usually described as cool. Toxic, but very pretty.
Am I the only one that finds this cute and exotic?
Coqui are small tree frogs that are very common in Puerto Rico. Aside from being small and having relatively big eyes, the only issue is that they tend to be loud.