Having just published our 2,000th ZooBorns post, we thought it was time to take a look back and reflect on the last 4 years. We crunched the numbers and identified the Top 25 Most Popular Baby Animals since we founded ZooBorns in 2008. 

#25- Naked into the World: Amani the Baby Aardvark

We innocently entitled this story about a baby Aardvark "Naked into the World." To this day the post attracts some very strange Google keyword searches… well, joke's on them. Detroit Zoo's Aardvark cub, Amani, was our first and, many Aardvarks later, remains our most popular. Full story

Photo credit: Mark M. Gaskill - Phoenix Innovate. Taken at the Detroit Zoo

#24 - What's a Tawny Frogmouth?

Hoover and Sawyer, the two Tawny Frogmouth chicks born at SeaWorld, Orlando made a splash on ZooBorns just three months after we launched. Our first book featured a Fennec Fox on the cover in the US and six foreign language versions. The exception was the Korean publisher who saw fit to put one of these fluff-balls on the cover. Full story

Photo credits: Jason Collier, SeaWorld Orlando 

#23 - Meet "Badger Girl" the Honey Badger

Feisty, stubborn, smelly, and adventurous, at 14 weeks old "Badger Girl," the Honey Badger cub, exhibited all the trademark charms of her species. A few weeks after sharing this story, the Johannesburg Zoo realized Badger Girl was actually a badger boy and shortened his name to BG. Full story

Photo credit: Lorna Fuller / Johannesburg Zoo

#22 - Koala Joeys Galore for Australia's Dreamworld

"Pound" the Koala joey was one of 11 born at Dreamworld in 2011. He also graced the cover of our second book for young children ABC ZooBorns. Check out those claws! Full story

Photo credits: Australia's Dreamworld / Koala COuntry Photographics

#21 - Ruth the Tiny Two-Toed Sloth

Born underweight, this tiny Hoffman's Two-toed Sloth bounced back thanks to Rosamond Gifford Zoo keepers supplanting her nursing with formula. Now Ruth is happy, healthy and as active as Two-toed Sloth ought to be, which is to say, pretty laid back. Full story

Photo credits: Amelia Beamish, Rosamond Gifford Zoo

#20 - Siku the Polar Bear Cub and ZooBorns The Next Generation

Siku was the perfect poster-child (cover child?) for our newest book, ZooBorns: The Next Generation, since he A) is shockingly adorable and B) puts an empathetic face on the tremendous challenges posed by climate change like melting sea ice. Zoo's like the Scandinavian Wildlife Park of Djursland's and organizations like Polar Bears International are working hard to spread the word and educate the public on how to help. Full story

Photo credits: Soren Koch & Himer / Koch Nature Photography

#19 - Meet Beau, the Orphan Echidna Puggle

A relatively recent zoo-born, Beau the Echidna was brought to the Taronga Zoo as a 30 day orphan in late October. This unique looking baby, called a puggle, caught even many longtime ZooBorns fans by surprise. Full story

Photo credit: Ben Gibson / Taronga Zoo

#18 - Double Dose of Baby Sea Otter

Tazo, the orphan Sea Otter was rescued by the Alaska SeaLife Center in the summer of 2010. He enjoys socializing with other Otters, playing in a tote bag full of ice and toys, and eating clams. We here at ZooBorns remain in awe of the rescue and rehabilitation work performed by the Alaska SeaLife Center, which included orphaned walrus calves, Sea Otters, seals and baby Belugas among others this year. Full story

Photo credit: Alaska SeaLife Center

#17 - Munching Baby Marmoset Makes Eyes at the Camera

At just over one month old, the Alma Park Zoo's baby Common Marmoset was smaller than a kiwi fruit and enjoyed mugging for the camera. Full story

Photo credits: Wei

#16 - What's a Tamandua?

Just days old in the photo below, this baby Tamandua was still nameless when we included him in the first ZooBorns kids' book. Apparently he was never named and, to this day, children and moms write in asking us what the critter's name is. Tamandua toddlers like little Nameless here hitch a ride on mom’s back for the first part of their life. This baby was born at Discovery Cove. Full story

Photo credits: Photo credits: David Collier / Discovery Cove

#15 - Rare Pygmy Loris Twins Born at Moody Gardens

Moving slowly through the tree tops and weighing only a pound or less in adulthood, the Pygmy Slow Loris lives up to its name. Random ZooBorns fun fact - Slow Lorises have been ZooBorns Co-founder Andrew Bleiman's favorite animal since he was 6! Moody Gardens announced the rare birth of Pygmy Slow Loris twins in 2010. Full story

Photo credit: Moody Gardens

#14 - Thermonuclear Otters

Lethally cute, we dubbed these North American River Otter triplets the "Thermonuclear Otters." Born at the Columbus Zoo, the pups remained secluded in the den with mom for the first two months. Full story

Photo credits: Grahm Jones

#13 - Meet the World's Smallest Rabbit

Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbits are the world's smallest and among the rarest. Native only to a single area of Washington State, the species was declared extinct in the wild in the '90s, after the remaining 14 bunnies were scooped up and taken into the equivalent of bunny protective custody at Oregon Zoo. Full story

Photo credits: Michael Durham / Oregon Zoo

#12 - Baby Otter Swim Lessons

Surprising fact: baby otters actually need to be taught how to swim! Not so surprising fact: the process is obscenely adorable! Watch mom teach her pups at the Columbus Zoo. Full story

Photo credits: Grahm Jones

#11 - Arctic Fox Pups at Aquarium of the Pacific

Arctic Foxes have heavily pigmented eyes, which function like built-in sunglasses, to protect them from the glare of sun on snow. These playful pups were born at Aquarium of the Pacific in 2011. Full story

Photo credits: Aquarium of the Pacific

#10 - Black Jaguar Baby

ZooBorns fans love shots of mothers and cubs. Here a newborn black Jaguar is carried by her mother, named Venus, at the Park of the Legends zoo in Lima. Full story

Photo credits: AP Photos/Karel Navarro

#9 - Feisty Snow Leopard Kitten Born at Binder Park Zoo

One of ZooBorns very first posts, this Snow Leopard kitten born at Binder Park Zoo also has the honor of being the most popular Snow Leopard kitten of the many we've showcased over the years. Full story

Photo credit: Binder Park Zoo

 #8 - A Face Any Mother Would Love

The Everland Zoo in Seoul, Korea is always full of surprises and their resident photographer, In Cherl Kim, is always there to capture them. This guy is The Master. Check out his Flickr page. These Bat-eared Fox pups look like cartoon characters. Full story

Photo credits: In Cherl Kim

#7 - A Tiny Baby Dik-Dik

Rejected by its mother, this tiny Kirk's Dik-Dik was hand-raised by keepers at England's Chester Zoo where he apparently assists with light clerical work... Standing just 10 inches tall, the baby is bottle fed five times a day and appears to be doing well. Full story

Photo credits: Press Association

#6 - South Africa Welcomes Prince Harry…

Prince Harry the Pygmy Hippo at the Cango Wildlife Ranch was an international superstar who helped raise visibility for the plight of his endangered species. Full story

Photo credits: Cango Wildlife Reserve

#5 - Rare Sand Kitten Birth Gives Hope for Conservation

Once plentiful in numbers in the dunes of Israel, the Sand Cat has become extinct in the region. This was Safari Zoo's first successful Sand Cat birth, which joined Israel's Sand Cat Breeding Program in order to help reintroduce the species into the wild. Full story

Photo credit: Tibor Jager

#4 - Pile O' Otter Babies

Asian Small-Clawed Otters are the smallest species of otter and also one of the noisiest. In addition to the photo, we couldn't resist posting the video, which incidentally, remains our most popular. Turns out otter pups chirp like birds! Full story

Photo credits: Jason Collier SeaWorld Orlando

#3 - National Zoo Announces Rare Clouded Leopard Birth

In 2009, these Clouded Leopard cubs were the first born in 16 years at Smithsonian National Zoo. Many Clouded Leopard posts later, they are still the most popular of their species. Full story

Photo credit: Tracy A. Woodward / The Washington Post

#2 - It's a Mouse... It's a Deer... It's a Mouse Deer!

It's been two years since we shared the Paignton Zoo's baby Mouse Deer and we still get comments claiming the post is fake! The Lesser Malay Mouse Deer, a species of Chevrotain, is very real, and very small.  Full story

Photo credit: Ray Wiltshire / Paignton

#1 - What's Cuter Than a Fennec Fox? Trick question… Nothing!

This photo single handedly introduced ZooBorns to 500,000 new visitors. Twice as popular as our friend the Mouse Deer, this Fennec Fox kit from Korea's Everland Zoo, has since become the ZooBorns' mascot. Many many more Fennec Fox posts...

Photo credit: In Cherl Kim

Want the cliff notes? Enjoy our  "executive summary", or Pyr-Aww-mid below. This graphic provides a handy snapshot of the cast of characters that make-up ZooBorns.com and help to ensure you get your daily recommended dietary allowance of adorable animals. Finally, don't forget to order our newest book, ZooBorns: The Next Generation in time for Christmas! 10% of all sales goes to conservation and at $9.99, it's a perfect stocking stuffer. 

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