wild animals

You could say we're a little giraffe-obsessed, but how can you blame us when zoos across the globe are bombarding us with these adorable animals? The latest addition to the zoo baby world is an as-yet-unnamed Rothschild giraffe born to mom Tatu at the Zoo Aquarium of Madrid on Easter day. This Spanish cutie can't seem to get enough of his audience — and the camera — even at just a few days old! We think he's muy lindo, so we've gathered up a few fun facts about these towering animals — check out our slideshow!

Sloth babies are the celebrities of the animal kingdom this year, appearing on Animal Planet's Too Cute and in Kristen Bell's birthday fantasies. But we'd like to nominate a new junior cutie: the white-handed gibbon! These little primates hail from Southeast Asia, munching on fruit, leaves, insects, and flowers in the wild. Sweater-clad Knuppy, a 3-month-old gibbon born at the Bremen Zoo, can't get enough of his bottle. And with eyes like his, how can a zookeeper with a heart resist?

We humans think of cherry blossoms as graceful representatives of nature's artwork, but Japanese macaques think they taste pretty good! With the lovely trees in full bloom in Tokyo, monkeys at the Ueno Zoo are diving headlong into these Spring delicacies while they last.

Being a gangly youngster doesn't always exile you from the in crowd. Take a page from this little guy: after spending the first two weeks of his life in isolation to bond with his mother, this baby long-neck made his debut yesterday to the rest of the Rothschild giraffe herd at the Leipzig Zoo in Germany. Looks like he's Mr. Popularity!

Source: Getty

Four dingo pups entered the world in January at the Tierpark Friedrichsfelde Zoo in Berlin, and at nearly two months old, they are cute as can be. Long perceived as pests by the modern livestock industry, these wild canines are still a vital part of Australia's ecological landscape and natural history. Click through to see some darling dingo pups, and learn a few facts about these noble feral beasts!

You'd think a baby polar bear would be ready for a tumble in the snow from day one. Not so for Siku, the adorable orphaned baby bear from the Scandinavian Wildlife Park. His first venture into a cold white world took place this week at just under 4 months old! But clearly this little one has taken to it like . . . well, polar bears to snow. Check out Siku's winter wonderland and other baby photos you may have missed.

Source: Hilmer & Koch for Scandinavian Wildlife Park

2012 got off to a rocky start for about 60 seals, battered by storms in the U.K. After enduring rough weather, in which winds reached up to 100 miles per hour, these pups were rescued by the Royal Society For the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for some R&R before they are released back into the wild this Spring. Despite the recent trauma, these grey seals still have a smooch or two for the camera, and we're happy to take in the cuteness!