There’s something universal about the charm of baby animals. From tiny joeys tucked in pouches to chubby seal pups on the ice, their small size, playful antics, and innocence capture our hearts. Here are 37 of the sweetest baby animals to fulfill all your adorability needs for weeks!
1. Kitten
A kitten is just a handful at three or four ounces, which is lighter than a deck of cards. Litters of three to five mewl for milk every few hours. They nurse for about eight weeks, eyes closed at first, then blinking and taking in the big world.
2. Ducklings
Ducklings tip the scale at barely an ounce or two. A dozen siblings may hatch at once. They march after Mom in a tidy line of yellow fuzz, cheeping happily. Once in the water, they’re in their element, floating around like little fluffy boats.
3. Tiger Cub
Tiger cubs are chunky little bundles, weighing two to three pounds at birth. A litter of two to four tumbles together, nursing for six months. Their squeaks and stripes make them irresistible miniatures of their parents. Cuddled under mom’s huge paws, they’re fierce-in-training but impossibly adorable for now.
4. Elephant Calf
Elephant calves are giants among babies, weighing 200 to 250 pounds at birth—as much as an adult man. Born singly after nearly two years of pregnancy, they nurse for several years. Their floppy ears, wobbly steps, and trunk they can’t quite control make them endearingly clumsy—like toddlers in XXL pajamas.
5. Puppy
Depending on the breed, dogs have puppies that weigh anywhere from a few ounces to a pound when born. Litters can be anywhere from 1-12 or larger, and pups nurse for six to eight weeks. Their squeaky cries, pink paws, and milk-drunken naps are why “puppy piles” melt hearts everywhere.
6. Piglet
Piglets are just two to three pounds at birth, but they hit the ground running. Litters often number a dozen. They squeal and nuzzle with vigor, nursing for about a month. Squeaky clean newborns have a lot to learn from their mom, including how to get good and dirty in a mud hole.
7. Fawn
At five to eight pounds, fawns look delicate, decorated with white spots that serve as camouflage. They’re usually born solo, sometimes as twins. They nurse for four months, waiting hidden silently in the grass while their mom grazes.
8. Foal
Foals arrive at around 100 pounds, already strong-legged and standing within an hour. They’re born singly and nurse for 4-6 months. They look like lanky teenagers, with knobby knees and oversized ears—gangly, awkward, and beautiful all at once.
9. Calf
Calves weigh 60 to 100 pounds, born one at a time. Nursing lasts months, though many farmers supplement with bottle feeding. Watching a calf wobble on new legs, then flop down into straw with wide-eyed innocence, is one of the most beautiful pictures of new life you’ll ever see.
10. Porcupette
Whoever brilliantly decided that baby porcupines should be called porcupettes should be allowed to rename all baby animals! Porcupettes are just a pound or less at birth, chubby little things whose quills are still soft. Usually born singly, they nurse for four to six weeks. Their gentle squeaks and shy waddles make them look like huggable stuffed toys.