With the new spring season comes new baby animals to fawn over, from puppies and kittens, to baby ducks and baby goats, to baby zoo animals like elephants and sloths.
But before we get to the super sweet pictures, how about some history? If you've ever thought "Hey Daily Paws, why are baby animals born in the spring?," then you're in luck, pal!
First of all, spring weather, despite the occasional boom-crash of thunderstorms, provides the optimal environment for animals to have their babies. Temperatures warm up and conditions are more mild than they tend to be in the wintertime.
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Second, animals tend to be food-motivated, especially when they have young mouths to feed. More daylight hours give animals more time to find food for their babies. Not to mention that if you're a grazing animal like a cow or deer, food is more plentiful in the spring, too!
Now, the moment you've been waiting for. Introducing the Baby Animal Class of 2021!
Kitten
Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr purr purr. BRB, ordering sleeping bags for every kitten on earth. Hope this kitten gets a full eight hours.
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Baby Bunnies
A dog and a pile of baby bunnies ... have you ever seen anything cuter?! Bailey the golden retriever and her baby bunny pals may be the most adorable best friends there are. She doesn't have just one best friend, she has a whole litter!
Puppy
Hi, honeys—a.k.a. Pooh Bear or Little Roo. Both of these angels can fit in one hand. Nothing cuter than pint-sized puppies.
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Baby Duck
We can't see these ducklings' feet pumping furiously, but we bet they're really moving under the water! (And if you're a big fan of little ducklings, A-lister Amanda Seyfried has an unlikely doggo-duck friendship that's too cute for this world.)
Baby Goat
Is there anything cuter than a baby goat? Well, yes. Two baby goats! Or should we say kids as baby goats are called? Goats are social animals that live in herds, and they can tell a happy person from an unhappy person according to the BC SPCA. They prefer to spend time with happy people, though how can you not be happy after looking at goats?
Baby Deer
These fawns are so full of energy. They're so energetic we're wondering if it'd be smart to enter one of them into the Olympics for hurdling!
Baby Lamb
Pablo wishes you a day filled with compassion. Imagine what a better place the world would be if we all had even half the compassion of a baby lamb!
Baby Otter
The Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island recently welcomed quadruplet baby otters into the world with mom otter Mishi. You know otters grow up to be great swimmers, but did you know that otters can hold their breath for up to eight minutes?
Baby Fox
What a majestic, photogenic fox cub! Better that they learn about golden hour at a young age so that they can start their modeling career off as soon as possible. But even though they're incredibly photogenic, make sure you know what to do to in case you ever happen to come across an orphaned baby animal in the wild.
Baby Hedgehog
Herbee the hedgehog is such a happy boy, no matter where he is! Though it's pretty clear any of the below spots—including that gorgeous field of wildflowers—would be a great place for any photoshoot. Matter of fact, Herbee's little grin may be enough to get us through all of 2021.
Baby Panda
Xiao Qi Ji is one of the newest additions at the Smithsonian's National Zoo, and you can keep up with him via the live panda cam. He's primarily awake between the hours of 7:30–9:30 a.m. EST, if you're in for an early morning of cuteness.
Baby Elephant
This gal is still reeling from Daylight Savings Time. But who can blame her for wanting to sneak a nap in? Fun fact: Baby elephants, called calves, weigh over 200 pounds at birth and can already walk within about an hour!
Baby Sloth
Brand-new baby alert! The Staten Island Zoo is home to Benny, the cutest baby sloth born to mom CC and dad Sid. The Honolulu Zoo also welcomed a new baby sloth earlier in 2021. The amount of adorable these slow-moving creatures bring to the world is enough to make anyone smile.
Baby Rhino
Mama rhino Bibi gave birth to a healthy baby boy rhino named Klyde Jr. (KJ for short) earlier this year at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas. At just a couple weeks old, this big baby weighed in at almost 86 pounds per the zoo's Instagram. Black rhinos like these are critically endangered, so it was a happy event all around!
Baby Giraffe
Blank Park Zoo visitors in Des Moines, Iowa have been privy watching the first few months of baby giraffe Raza. He's a curious boy that loves his family AND melts our hearts. But the only thing better than one baby giraffe would be two: the lucky crew at Zoo Miami also welcomed a set of baby giraffes earlier this spring, as well. Double the fun, double the cute!
Baby Monkey
Amali the baby bonobo monkey reminds us of ourselves on Monday morning before we've had our coffee. Except we'd have to admit—these little primates are probably just a little bit cuter than us humans.
