I Just Found Out About Baby Echidnas And You Are Welcome

Look. At. This. Animal!! This is a baby echidna. They are otherwise known as “puggles”. I don’t know what it is exactly that makes this nugget so cute. It doesn’t have any of the features that I would say tend to make up a “cute” animal. It’s not furry, and it doesn’t have those big sad puppy dog eyes that make you want to hug it. It honestly sort of looks like a ballsack? It has really long creepy nails and a really long, creepy tongue. It shouldn’t be cute. And yet..

I don’t know! It’s like a helpless little beanbag and I want to squish it and carry it around in my pocket. I love him. I want one. He’s like a mix of a hedgehog (cute) and a platypus (cute).

Actually, he looks like a niffler from the Fantastic Beasts movies. The movies aren’t that great, but that funky little niffler is superb:

If you were interested in some wildlife facts, Echidnas are the oldest surviving mammal, which is maybe why they look like creepy dinosaurs who’ve just figured out what skin is. They’re native to Australia (because of course they are) and they’re super not endangered. They seem pretty resilient considering they’ve been around for fucking ever. The adults look like this:

He seems sharp, but he’s clearly a friend. Anyways, I think this is my favorite animal now and I’m upset no one has ever told me about them. Here’s a five minute compilation video that someone actually took time out of their life to make of echidnas being fed. Enjoy!