Meet Moo Deng, Pesto the Penguin, and other viral animals we love to love

Cute animals – especially baby animals – rule the internet. Every time something new emerges, the details vary, but the fascination remains the same.

It's a bit like a Mad Libs game where you pick random words to complete a sentence: In 2024, a (pygmy hippopotamus) from (Thailand) named (Moo Deng), which means (jumping pork or meatballs). , the lives of netizens captured. Hearts, thanks in part to (she looks slippery) and (she bites her zookeeper's butt).

Cute animals have been loved for as long as animals and humans have existed. You may have learned in school that the ancient Egyptians valued their cats – although it is incorrect to say that they “worshipped” them (instead, they had deities that they believed shared feline characteristics). And a 1911 book, Kittens and Cats: A First Reader, features cats dressed up and labeled in truly meme-like ways. In the internet age, Grumpy Cat became a $100 million meme machine in the 2010s, and other pets, including big-eyed Lil Bub and Noodles the Bones/No Bones Day pug, also scored big ones Success. Currently, cats like The Stinkwalker, Lucille the senior rescue cat, and the earless Cheddar Bob are finding new generations of fans.

Why do we love them so much? First, medical studies have shown that we are actually wired to love and protect small, vulnerable things. And as anyone who has followed Snoopy in the Peanuts comic, shared a cat video, or bought a puppy calendar knows, we have a special relationship with our animal friends. They represent us in jokes and memes, and their sheer innocence brings a smile.

But there's a trend right now to follow unusual animals – hippos and anteaters as well as penguins and seals, creatures you would never have in your own home. Here's a look at some of the amazing animals currently charming millions of people online.

Moo Deng: Popularity of pygmy hippos

Moo Deng, born in July at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chon Buri, Thailand, deserves her viral fame. She's sweet and sassy and a little strange because her skin is always wet. Saturday Night Live cast member Bowen Yang played her on Weekend Update on September 29 and repeatedly asked to be sprayed with a hose, which is apparently a favorite of Moo Deng. She's also been known to bite her keeper's butt (her teeth are just starting to come through, so it's not as painful as it sounds).

Moo Deng always looks kind of sassy, ​​so she's a prime candidate for memes where her tendency to scream becomes a relatable reaction to the world we live in.

How to follow Moo Deng: You can tune in and try to catch a glimpse of the little meatball on the zoo's 24-hour webcam. Additionally, the Associated Press streamed an hour of Moo Deng cuteness on September 19th, which you can watch on YouTube.

Pesto the Penguin: It's HUGE

Just as Moo Deng was starting to go viral, another baby animal waddled onto the stage. Pesto, the king penguin who lives at the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium in Australia, is still a baby, but you can't tell by his size. He looks huge compared to his penguin friends, weighing about 49 pounds and eating 25 fish per day.

The aquarium where he lives tries to explain his mass on its website, writing: “Pesto's impressive weight is due to a number of factors. First, his biological father, Blake, is our largest and oldest penguin. Secondly, he had great parents to raise him! So the combination of good genes and good parents explains his current weight, but he will lose a lot of it when he fledges (develops his adult feathers).”

But eating so much has natural consequences. CNN notes that Pesto poops every 15 minutes and staff rushes after him to keep his enclosure clean.

Pesto is so popular that the aquarium even sells merchandise featuring his image and a plush toy. And even singer Katy Perry visited him.

How to Follow Pesto: The best way for me to keep up with Pesto is through the aquarium's TikTok and Instagram feeds.

Biscuits the Seal: Sad face, but lovable

Seals have always been a favorite animal for many, and a certain little sad-faced seal named Biscuits doesn't know why he can't be as popular as Moo Deng or Pesto.

Biscuits was admitted to Canada's Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Center on August 2 and was found separated from her mother near the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. She only weighed 15 pounds. The center notes that since her admission, Biscuits has been moved to a larger rehabilitation tank because she can now eat fish herself and competes with the other seals for food.

“She will continue to move between pools and develop her skills until she reaches her starting weight,” the website says. “Depending on their medical condition and treatment plan, weight gain and transportation options, it may take as little as a few weeks or several months before a patient is ready for discharge.”

She may not have the popularity of Moo Deng or Pesto yet, but a motherless seal that sits like a human? Call Disney, we've found the next heartbreaking movie theme.

How to Follow Cookies: The Vancouver Rescue Center provides “Patient Progress” and “Patient Updates” on its website, but the most recent update is from August 27th.

Beardsley Zoo Anteater: Wormtongue for life

Anteaters have one of the funniest names in the animal kingdom, named after their diet of ants and termites. These mammals belong to the suborder Vermilingua, which translates to “worm tongue,” and once you see the tongue in question, you’ll understand why. Anteaters have no teeth, but their tongues can grow up to 60 cm long and help them suck prey into their mouths.

The Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, Connecticut welcomed a little giant anteater in late summer, and while it hasn't yet achieved the fame of Moo Deng, it's an anteater, but its giant pink tongue alone makes it hilarious. Add to that the fact that he could ride around on his mother's back for an entire year, and this little guy is just as fascinating as any cat video.

The zoo's fact sheet about the baby doesn't list a name, although an article from USC's Annenberg Media simply calls it “Beardsley,” which isn't a bad name.

How to follow the baby anteater: Perhaps zookeepers in Connecticut don't want to seek the fame of Moo Deng and the others because they apparently haven't set up a webcam or TikTok account to follow the little one. But the zoo has Facebook and Instagram, so he could appear there.