The other day I posted about miniature piglets. This was not my first mention of smaller-than-expected animals and how cute they are; last December I shared my joy about my recent discovery: pygmy rabbits.  But it took a recent BBC special that included video of pygmy parrots that I realized “pygmy” was a code word for “miniature and cute”.  So I embarked on a YouTube journey to find my favorite pygmy animals.  First up, here’s the pygmy Jeroba, one of the smallest mammals in the world.  I love his giant feet!

Next, we have the Internet’s favorite pygmy animal, the pygmy goat.  I would love to work somewhere everybody had British accents and there was a tiny goat jumping around all day.

And lastly, the pet my kid-sister would most love to get, the pygmy hedgehog.  I love that their default shape is a ball.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, once again science has the answer.  Whether its breeding dogs that look like lions, or just creating devices that get cats riled up, all things steadily move towards the cute.  And thusly, I bring you this video, about the new pet craze in the UK brought about by everybody’s love of piglets, but concern over the needs of a full grown pig.  I bring you Micro-Piglets!

Thanks, Theresa!

Some days I feel like the Internet just gets me.  I’m familiar with Dramatic Prairie Dog (sometimes called Dramatic Chipmunk), as you probably are, but I hadn’t really explored the meme thoroughly.  Here’s a walk through my favorite entries in the series.  First, in case you missed it, here’s Dramatic Prairie Dog:

Of the numerous remixes of this short video, this is my favorite.

Then, there have been lots of people looking for the next “dramatic” animal.  The closest anybody’s come is Dramatic Cat.

And lastly, although this is usually called Dramatic, I think it’s mostly just creepy.  And occasionally it looks more like Smug Lemur.  You be the judge.

There are plenty of voice-over animals videos on YouTube, but this one made me smile.  It’s just really well timed, I think.  And the cat is pretty cute.

It’s probably not a great idea to adopt a raccoon and let it play with your house pets.  But if you do, you might discover that they have a really cute fighting style.  I like to call this the “I’m Gonna Hug Your Face” stance.  Despite being far to small to win this fight, the raccoon never gives up his face hug.  I think it’s safe to say he hugs the crap out of this dog’s face.  It’s awesome.

My sister wrote me a breathless e-mail (yes, it’s possible) today about her new favorite breed of puppy, the Leonberger.  Originally bred by a German king to resemble lions, these adorable puppies grow up to be 120lb beasts.  I chose this video to introduce you to them (assuming you, like me, hadn’t heard of them before) because it shows both sizes. It’s from a great series about the two dogs that includes such great titles as “Billy & Piper ignore the birdies” and “Billy & Piper Interacting.”

Oh, and as a bonus, here is something inadvisable to do with your Leonberger puppy!

Megan and I first became aware of this video last year some time, and we decided not to post it because we thought it was a bit too creepy looking.  It got sent to me again (thanks, Tanya!) and I’m reconsidering.  The face is so human like, I can’t help but think somebody has gotten trapped in this rare animal’s little body.  Still, I leave the decision of cute/creepy up to you.

It really is tough being a pet in a human world.  So many things that aren’t what they look like.  Take mirrors, for example.  It looks like there’s something to play with, but really, it’s only a headache.  My favorite part of this video is the music, because it makes it seem like there are two puppies dancing ballet together.  Enjoy!

Like many YouTube videos, this one suffers from being a tad too long.  Still, the first 1:43 or so includes one of the most incredible cat montages I’ve ever seen.  Enjoy!

Hi, everybody.  Alex here.  Sorry for absence.  The good news is we’re back and better than ever.  I’ve moved the blog over to Tumblr and we’re going to be posting again on a regular basis.  As always, send us feedback at alex @ cuteanimalzoo.com.