The 500 Cutest Animals

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Elderly female blue monkey. With those pudgy cheeks, which spot on the list do you think this gal landed? (Image credit: © Science/AAAS)

Photos: See the World's Cutest Sea Creatures When it comes to looks, the animal kingdom has some cuties (and some not-so cuties). So the TechMediaNetwork editorial team decided to take on the challenge of ranking them, after extensive debate, in reverse order of cuteness. Here are the top 500 that made the Cute Animals list. You may be surprised at which furry creature came in at #1 and which snagged the last spot. Let us know what you think.

500. Red Uakari

Red Uakari monkey. (Image credit: © Luis Louro Dreamstime.com)

499. Narwhal

498. Nudibranch (No two alike!)

497. Horseshoe Crab

496. Coelacanth

Living coelacanth. (Image credit: Hans Fricke/Max-Planck Institute)

495. Giant Clam

494. Chicken

493. Flying Fish

492. Eastern Mole

491. Marine Iguana

490. Pallid Sturgeon

489. Opossum

488. Snail

487. Damselfish

486. Pygmy Octopus

485. Barramundi

484. Giant Squid

483. Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat

482. June Bug

481. Maned Wolf

480. Genet

479. Horned Lizard

478. Box Jellyfish

Tropical-dwelling box jellyfish have a cube-shaped body, and four different types of special-purpose eyes. (Image credit: Anders Garm)

477. Cantor's Giant Softshell Turtle

476. Cormorant

475. Starfish

474. Hawksbill Sea Turtle

473. Swordfish

472. Star-nosed Mole

471. Gecko (Just look at their eyes.)

The gecko can scamper across sheer surfaces, even when those surfaces are vertical walls. (Image credit: Ali Dhinojwala, The University of Akron)

470. Poison Dart Frog

469. Red-footed Booby

468. Starry Smooth-hound Shark

467. Turkey

466. Vietnamese Long-nosed Snake

465. Whale Shark

464. Wolverine

463. Cattle

462. Warthog

461. Red-eyed Tree Frog

460. Walrus

459. Ostrich

458. Piglet Squid

457. Humpback Whale

456. Ladybug

455. Butterfly

454. Glass Frog

Glass frog. (Image credit: © Conservation International-Colombia/Photo by Marco Rada)

453. Western Long-nosed Snakes

452. Elephants (African & Asian)

451. Pill Bug, a.k.a. Roly-Poly

450. Toucan

449. Elephant Seal

448. Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle

447. Burton's Legless Lizard

446. Teacup Pig

445. Octopus

444. Seahorse

443. Firefly (Its butt glows!)

442. Leafy Seadragon

Leafy seadragon. (Image credit: Greg Rouse, UC San Diego)

441. Musk Ox

440. Chameleon

439. Green Sea Turtle

438. Cuttlefish

437. Puffer Fish

436. Zebra Finch

435. Kuhli Loach

434. Lionfish

433. Argonaut aka Paper Nautilus

432. Naked Mole Rat

431. Dingo

430. Quetzal

429. Skunk (Stinky, but cute.)

428. White-crested Laughingthrush

427. Butterflyfish

426. Yoda Fruit Bat

425. Caribbean Reef Octopus

424. Hippopotamus

423. Impala

422. White Rhinoceros

421. Visayan Warty Pig

420. Proboscis Monkey

419. Snowy Owl (Hedwig.)

Snowy owls, like Harry Potter's Hedwig, have wingspans of about 5 feet and they are known to swallow prey, such as lemmings, whole. (Image credit: Dreamstime.)

418. Peacock

417. Llama

416. Domesticated Duck

415. Grizzly Bear

414. Kangaroo Rat

413. Tawny Frogmouth

The tawny frogmouth owl (Podargus strigoides) is found throughout Australia, including Tasmania. The nocturnal bird is known to have a soft, deep call that sounds like "ooom, ooom, ooom." (Image credit: © Countedsorrow2 Dreamstime.com)

412. Aardvark

411. Axolotl

410. Plover

409. Boar

408. Black Rhinoceros

407. Bison (They are also tasty.)

406. Somali Wild Ass

405. Arabian camel

404. Emu

403. Vole

402. Panther

401. Malagasy Jumping Rat

400. Reindeer aka Caribou

399. Banteng

398. Echidna

397. Tapir (Sadly, they lose their stripes as adults. Still cute though.)

396. Flamingo

395. Takin

394. Okapi

393. Cape Buffalo

392. Bengal Tiger

391. Galapagos Tortoise

390. Great Egret (Only cute when hunkered down.)

389. Addax

388. Wildebeest

387. Sumatran Tiger

386. Snares Penguin

385. Pangolin

The endangered Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), native to central and Southeast Asia, is covered with scales made from keratin. (Image credit: © AMNH/D. Finnin)

384. European Wolf

383. Oryx

382. Dwarf Zebu

381. Northern Fur Seal

380. Nine-banded Armadillo

379. Lion

378. Serow

377. Bactrian Camel

376. Sloth

375. Jaguarundi

Jaguarundi. (Image credit: Halvorsen, Gary/USFWS)

374. Weasel

373. Cougars

372. Kudu

371. Aldabra Flying Fox (A bat, not a fox.)

370. Donkey

369. Smooth-coated Otter

368. Baboon

367. Rockhopper Penguin

Rockhopper penguin.

366. Coyote

365. Alpaca

364. Mole rat (The non-naked variety, but still blind as can be.)

363. Domestic goat

362. Topi

361. Moose

360. Golden Mole

359. Transcaspian Urial

358. Long-nosed Bandicoot

357. Eland

356. Marbled Polecat

355. Ross Seal

354. Cheetah

353. Spectacled Bear

352. Red Fox

351. Pronghorn

350. Bobcat

349. Horse

348. Tenrec

347. Black Bear (Much cuter than grizzlies.)

346. Sifaka

Coquerel's Sifaka and baby at the Bronx Zoo. (Image credit: Julie Larsen Maher)

345. Mountain Beaver (Not a beaver.)

344. Pig

343. Bearded Pig

342. Puma

341. Manatee (Our resident manatee expert says: They fart a lot. Don't ask how I know this.)

340. Lemming

339. Gorilla

338. Iberian Mole

337. Polar Bear

336. Mallard

335. Mountain Bongo

334. River Dolphin aka Baiji

333. Spotted Hyena

332. Galapagos Sea Lion

331. African Barred Owlet

330. Stellar Sea Lion

329. Musk Deer

328. American Wolf

327. Liger

Killer whale and Weddell seal. (Image credit: Robert Pitman/NOAA)

326. Orca aka Killer Whale (Shamu! Free Willy!)

325. Mountain Goat

324. Spotted Seal

323. Onager

322. Sitatunga

321. Olingo

320. Colugo

319. African Linsang

318. Numbat

317. Coypu

316. Spinner Dolphin

A newly discovered wild peccary. (Image credit: © NDR Naturfilm/Roland Gockel; © Frieder Salm)

315. Peccary

314. Dugong

313. Elephant Shrew

312. Barbirusa Pig

311. Muntjac

310. Nyala

309. Sclater's Lemur

308. Owl

307. Chuditch

306. Springhaas

305. Porcupine

304. Kouprey

303. Sloth Bear

302. Dibbler

301. Robin

300. Nilgai

299. Hairy-nosed Otter

298. Gerenuk

297. Scottish Highland Cow

296. Subantarctic Fur Seal

295. Madagascar Hedgehog Tenrec

294. Yak

293. Tamandua

292. Cuban Screech Owl

291. Klipspringer

290. Southern Viscacha

289. South American Fur Seal

288. Tahr

287. Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel

286. Mouflon

285. Flamarion's Tuco-tuco

284. Weddell Seal

283. Miniature Horse (But not ponies.)

282. Badger

281. Blackbuck

280. Goral

279. Black-backed Jackal

278. Sandpipers

277. Cameroon Scaly-tail

276. New Zealand Fur Seal aka Southern Fur Seal

275. Argali

274. Quoll

273. Amazon River Dolphin

272. Baikal Seal

271. Pademelon

270. Dibatag aka Clarke's Gazelle

269. Giant Forest Hog

268. Vicuña

267. Brocket Deer

266. Emperor Tamarin

265. Bighorn Sheep

264. South Andean Deer aka Huemul

263. Erect-crested Penguin

262. Hartebeest

261. Aoudad aka Barbary Sheep

An adult yellow-bellied marmot. These rodents live in Western North America. (Image credit: Ben Hulsey)

260. Marmot

259. Hog Deer

258. Norway Rat aka Brown Rat

257. Gaur

256. Caspian Seal

255. Iriomote Cat

254. Anoa

253. Hutia

252. Ibex

251. Ocelot

250. Rhebok

249. Fishing Cat

248. Markhor

247. Kinkajou

246. Père David's Deer aka Milu

245. Paca (Also considered a gourmet meat.)

244. Caracal

243. Bearded Seal

242. Tayra

241. Pudu

240. Pampas Cat

239. Guanaco

238. Anteater

237. Yellow-eyed Penguin

236. Wallaroo

235. Taruca

234. Lesser Grison

233. Spotted-necked Otter

232. Chiru aka Tibetan Antelope

231. Sable

Zebra in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. (Image credit: Tudorish, Dreamstime.com)

230. Zebra

229. Pygmy Anteater (Pygmy things are cuter than regular-size things. This is one of the principles of cuteness theory.)

228. Cuscus

227. Common Seal

226. Saola

225. Oncilla

224. Sunda Stink Badger

223. Snow Leopard

222. Suni

221. Lynx

220. Goeldi's Marmoset or Goeldi's Monkey

219. Bat-eared Fox

218. Brush-tailed Bettong

217. African Clawless Otter

216. Antelope

215. King Penguin

214. Muskrat

213. Mini Nubian Goat

212. Mouse Lemur

211. Greater Bilby

One of 2,500 yellow-cheeked crested gibbons counted in the recent WCS survey. (Image credit: Matt Hunt.)

210. Mink

209. Black Squirrel

208. Ribbon Seal

207. Gibbon

206. Zorilla

205. Agouti

204. Kha-nyou

203. Springbok

202. Andean Bear

201. Fiordland Penguin

The platypus sports a patchwork of features from mammals, reptiles and birds. (Image credit: Zina Deretsky, National Science Foundation.)

200. Platypus

199. Patgonian Cavy aka Mara

198. African Wild Dog

197. Giant Otter

196. Macaroni Penguin

195. Mediterranean Monk Seal

194. Woodchuck

193. Aardwolf

192. Bush Dog

191. Margay

190. Kob

189. South American Sea Lion

188. Dhole

187. Crabeater Seal

186. Saiga

185. Ringed Seal

184. African Hunting Dog

183. Lechwe

182. Australian Sea Lion

181. Beira

180. Tasmanian Devil

179. Elk

178. Southern River Otter

177. Humboldt Penguin

176. Puku

175. Galapagos Fur Seal

174. Galago

Female Grant's gazelles roaming the Serengeti Plain. (Image credit: Tim Caro)

173. Gazelle (all species apart from Thomson's Gazelle)

172. Thomson's Gazelle

171. Magellanic Penguin

170. Przewalski's Horse

169. African Buffalo

168. Galápagos Penguin

167. Brown Fur Seal

166. Crab-eating Fox

165. Eurasian Otter

164. Raccoon Dog

163. Tarsier

162. African Blackfoot Penguin

This California sea lion and the pup resting beside her are not related. A new study has documented evidence of adoption among California sea lions for the first time. (Image credit: Misuzu Toyama)

161. California Sea Lion

160. Kowari

159. Fallow Deer

158. Royal Penguin

157. Andean Mountain Cat

156. Agile Mangabey

155. Snow Leopard

154. Suslik

153. Blue Monkey

152. Beaver

151. Prevosts's Squirrel

150. Solenodon

149. Potto

148. North American Raccoon

147. Long-tailed Tit

146. Jerboa

145. Juan Fernández Fur Seal

144. Pine Marten aka American Marten

143. Golden Lion Tamarin

142. Chevrotain aka Mouse Deer

141. Arctic Fox

140. Sun Bear

139. Pocket Gopher

138. Fisher

137. Hawaiian Monk Seal

136. Orangutan

135. Stoat aka Ermine

134. Patagonian Opossum

133. Bushy-tailed Jird

132. Chickadee (Even the name sounds cute.)

131. Langur

130. Gelada Baboon

129. Emperor Penguin

128. Leopard Seal

127. African Black-footed Cat

Research flock at the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station near Dubois, Idaho. (Image credit: USDA ARS)

126. Domestic Sheep

125. Wildcat

124. Tree Hyrax

123. Antarctic Fur Seal

122. Black-footed Ferret

121. Pallas' Cat

120. Dik-dik

119. Feather-tail Glider

118. Lemur!

117. Pygmy Marmoset

116. Kodkod

115. Gundi

114. Zokor

113. Geoffroy's Cat

112. Titi

111. Grivet

110. Bearded Saki

109. Pygmy Hog

108. Gelada Monkey

107. Phascogale

Here’s a Royle’s pika, Ochotona roylei, sunning itself on a rock in Nepal. When they sense that a predator is sneaking up, the let out a shrill warning call and their bodies jerk forward and up with each bark and whistle. At nighttime they eat their own feces to maximize the nutrients they get from food. (Image credit: © David Emmett)

106. Pika (They're tiny, squeaky things that gather flowers, beat that.)

105. Mandrill

104. Squirrel Monkey

103. Culpeo

102. Vervet

101. Pygmy Hippopotamus

100. Gerbil

99. Verreaux's Sifaka

98. Coati

97. Tur

96. Black Stork

95. Giraffe

94. Wallace's Three-striped Dasyure

93. Surili

92. Guenon

91. Honey Badger (It doesn't care.)

90. Tree Squirrel

89. Hedgehog

88. Canary

87. Flying Squirrel

86. Hamster

85. Drill

84. Eastern Cottontail

83. Bonobo

82. White-faced Capuchin

81. Wombat

80. Saki Monkey

79. Jackrabbit

78. Malbrouck

77. New Zealand Sea Lion

76. Dwarf Mongoose

75. Chipmunk

74. Snowshoe Hare

73. Serval

72. Head-Bobbing Lemur

71. Deer

70. Hummingbird

69. Rabbit

White-tailed jack rabbits are disappearing from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. (Image credit: Joel Berger/Wildlife Conservation Society)

68. Quokka

67. Dwarf Rabbit

66. Aye Aye (Freaky, but cute.)

65. Matschie's Tree Kangaroo

64. Gray Seal

63. Chinchilla

62. Duiker

61. Mouse

60. Kangaroo

59. Puffin

58. Bush Baby

57. Sand Cat

56. Kultarr

55. Beluga Whale

54. Monkey

53. Koala

52. Slow Loris

51. Kiwi

50. Ring-tailed Cat (Not actually a cat, but very cute.)

49. Bottlenose Dolphin

48. Civet Cat

47. Degu

46. Oribi

Female Oribi (Ourebia ourebi) are small antelope. (Image credit: Gary M. Stolz/USFWS)

45. Lutung

44. Chinstrap Penguin

43. Siamang

42. False Antechinus

41. Asian Small-clawed Otter

40. Elephant Seal

39. Talapoin

38. Gymnure aka Moonrat

37. Kipunji

The kipunji monkey is found only in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. (Image credit: T. Davenport/WCS.)

36. Douc

35. Desman

34. Chimpanzee

33. Guinea Pig

32. Colubus

31. Blue Penguin

30. Gentoo Penguin

29. Common Planigale

28. Sugar Glider

27. Mulgara

Blue-footed booby. (Image credit: © Javarman Dreamstime.com)

26. Pink Fairy Armadillo

25. Little Red Kaluta

24. Northern River Otter

23. Blue-footed Booby

22. Dormouse

21. Wallaby

20. Clown Fish

19. Clouded Leopard

The binturong lives in the rain forests of Southeast Asia. (Image credit: © Gary Unwin Dreamstime.com)

18. Frilled Neck Lizard

17. Prairie Dog

16. Antechinus

15. Capybara

14. Macaque

A red panda enjoys the snow at the Bronx Zoo. (Image credit: Julie Larsen Maher/Wildlife Conservation Society)

13. Adelie Penguin

12. Harp Seal

11. Binturong aka Bearcat (It smells like buttered popcorn!)

10. Meerkat

9. Dunnart

8. Red Panda aka Firefox

7. Ring-tailed Lemur

6. Rock Hyrax

5. Dog

4. Fennec Fox

3. Giant Panda

2. Cat

These furry mammals swim around on their backs and balance snacks on their bellies. (Image credit: Dreamstime)

1. Sea Otter

Tom Chao
Tom Chao
Space.com Producer
Tom Chao has contributed to Space.com as a producer and writer since 2000. As a writer and editor, he has worked for the Voyager Company, Time Inc. New Media, HarperCollins and Worth Publishers. He has a bachelor’s degree in Cinema Production from the University of Southern California, and a master’s degree from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Tom on Google+.