Those cute but ferocious "little" animals

Those cute but ferocious "little" animals

There are some animals that look cute: fluffy bodies, harmless eyes, slow movements... You would never imagine how dangerous they are. They seem to be powerless and timid in front of their natural enemies, but in fact they are secret ninjas that have been given special abilities during the evolution process, and they have extremely fierce souls in their hearts. Let's take stock of those "cute little killers".

1. Weasel

This little weasel looks delicate and frail, just like its nickname (little weasel). It is not only the smallest and most exquisite of the mustelids, but also the smallest carnivorous animal on earth. You can easily be deceived by its appearance: a furry head, small ears, innocent round eyes, and a body size that is even the size of your mobile phone. But it is actually a complete little bully. In order to satisfy its appetite, its diet can be said to be from heaven and earth, and even prey that is several times or even dozens of times larger than it can be its meal. Its amazing bite force and sharp teeth also allow it to easily penetrate the head of its prey. It can be said to be a complete serial killer with a cute face.

2. Rusty-spotted cat

How can a cat have bad intentions? This one might really have one. As the smallest cat in the world, it has a delicate little face and a circle of white eyeliner around its eyes, which makes people want to put it in their pockets and take it away immediately. But wait, it is an endangered species, and taking it away may easily lead to "lifelong imprisonment". Moreover, it is a veritable jungle hunter, and parkour and rock climbing are no problem. It is agile and can not only climb trees to catch birds, but also go to rivers to catch fish. Frogs, mice, and insects are all its targets. Because its body temperature dissipates quickly, it needs to rely on food to supplement calories. Its daily food intake will exceed 6% of its body weight and can even reach more than 20%. It is also known as the "cat hummingbird".

3. Norwegian Lemming

The Norwegian lemming, which is only about 15 cm long, is a rodent with a legend of mass suicide. In fact, the so-called suicide is pure nonsense. In reality, it is a fat little lemming with a ferocious survival attitude due to excessive "social phobia". In the case of social overload, when facing a natural enemy that is more than ten times larger than it, it will not "cowardly" run away, but will scream loudly and rush towards the predator, attacking and biting with its sharpened teeth. Even when humans want to conduct research, they will become the target of its attack. If you get too close, be careful that they will carry out a "suicide attack" aggressively.

4. Slow Slow Monkey

When you see this little cute creature with big eyes, don't be attracted by its quirky and cute appearance and try to touch it. The genus of loris to which it belongs is the only poisonous primate. It can extract chemical defense components from poisonous foods such as lacquer trees and transform them into its own weapons. When it senses danger, it will raise its arms above its head so that its mouth can approach the glands. The glands on the inside of the elbow can produce secretions, and its saliva combines with the secretions to form a deadly toxin. It will apply the toxin all over its body and also store it in its mouth. If you are bitten by it, you will feel severe pain, and it may even cause anaphylactic shock or death. So when you see this little cutie slowly crawling in the tree, don't get close to it. After all, it is "only for viewing from a distance and not for playing with."

5. Snowy Owl

As a famous "emoji-rich owl", the snowy owl is considered to be a laughing owl. Its healing smile has melted the hearts of countless people. It also appears in Harry Potter. But in fact, its smile does not mean happiness, it is just its natural expression. Don't look at it as a naive and innocent person, it is a member of the fierce owl family. It has excellent eyesight and can see moving objects nearly one meter away. With its silent flight buff and extremely fast dive speed, it can fall from the sky before the prey reacts and swallow smaller prey in one bite. Don't judge a bird by its appearance, it is actually a very fierce bird of prey.

Image source: Tuchong Creative

Finally, a reminder: although these little animals are cute, they cannot be kept as domestic animals. If you are struck by their cuteness, don't think about keeping them as domestic animals. Just enjoy watching them in zoos or documentaries.

Author: Hydra Science Creator

Reviewer: Li Laixing, Associate Researcher, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences