50+ Adorable Baby Animal Pictures You Just Have to See

National Geographic wishes they captured baby animals as cute as these.

Updated May 26, 2023
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There are so many cool and cute animals in the world, but their babies are even cuter! Learn baby animal names and facts with these adorable pictures. These fun snippets about what makes each little critter unique and how they get their names will not brighten your day, but you might learn something too!

Adorable Owlets

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Depending on their species, a baby owl, or owlet, can sometimes take care of itself. Owlets go through a few stages of childhood from fluffy nestling to partially feathered fledglings preparing to fly.

Squirrel Kit

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Baby squirrels are born blind and called kits or kittens. Kits stay with their mother for up to three months, then they head out on their own.

Deer Fawn

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White-tailed deer are common in woodlands and their babies are called fawns. Deer fawns feature white spots on their tan coat and are left alone most of the day when they are very young to protect them.

Raccoon Kit

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A baby raccoon is also called a kit. Raccoon kits look just like their parents, only smaller. They stay with their mother for about one year after birth.

Fox Kits

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A dad fox is called a reynard, a mom fox is called a vixen, and a baby fox is most often called a kit, but may be called a pup or cub. Some fox kits leave their family after about a year and a half, while others stay with their parents forever.

Gray Wolf Pups

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Like dogs, baby wolves are called pups or puppies. Wolf pups are born blind, deaf, and mostly helpless. They stay safe in their den for about three weeks.

Alaskan Brown Bear Cubs

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Most bear species have babies called cubs. These adorable cubs are born blind and hairless.

Opossum Joey

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Baby opossums are called joeys and are the size of honeybees when they are born. Opossum joeys head into their mom's pouch after birth and grow safely in there.

Skunk Kit

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The bare skin of a baby skunk, or kit, has the iconic striped pattern on it even though there is no hair yet.

Adorable Porcupette

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As if a baby porcupine isn't already adorable enough, they've got the cutest name as they're called porcupettes. When they're born, porcupettes have soft quills that harden up over their first few days of life.

Cute and Cuddly Eaglet

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There are different types of eagles, like bald eagles, and every baby eagle is called an eaglet. Before they are ready to fly, eaglets are also called nestlings. When they're ready to fly an eaglet is also known as a fledgling.

Bat Pup

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Baby bats, or pups, are born looking scrawny and pink, but they have strong claws and arms.

Monkey Infant

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Similar to humans, a baby monkey is called an infant. Monkey moms take care of their babies much like human moms do by nursing them, holding them, and teaching them skills.

Elephant Calf

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A baby elephant weighs about 250 pounds when it's born and is called a calf. They can't see great, but they can recognize their mom using their other senses.

Zebra Foal

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Zebra foals are born with brown and white stripes and weigh about 70 pounds.

Lion Cubs

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A baby lion cub learns to walk within a couple days of birth. All the moms in a lion pride help take care of all the babies in the group.

Kangaroo Joey

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A dad kangaroo is called a boomer while a mom is called a flyer and a baby is called a joey. Kangaroo joeys are tiny when they are born and spend several weeks growing inside their mother's pouch.

Tiger Cub

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Tiger cubs only weigh about two pounds when they are born and are completely dependent on their mom.

Giraffe Calf

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A giraffe baby is called a calf and is very strong early on. Giraffe calves fall from their mother to the ground at birth and can stand up within 30 minutes.

Baby Sloth

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There is no special name for a baby sloth; it's just called a baby sloth. These little critters are born eyes open, with fur, and able to climb.

Gorilla Infant

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Like monkeys and humans, a baby gorilla is called an infant. One fun gorilla fact is that gorilla moms care for an infant for about two to three years.

Hippopotamus Calf

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A baby hippo, or calf, can weigh up to 50 pounds and always needs its mom next to it to sleep.

Rhinoceros Calf

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A baby rhinoceros is also called a calf. Rhino calves look just like their parents, only they don't have a horn yet.

Meerkat Pup

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Meerkat pups are born in underground nurseries lined with grass. They stay in this next for a few weeks and other members of the meerkat mob help care for them when needed.

Goat Kids

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Baby goats are called kids and love to play just like human kids. These cute little farm babies are often born in sets as twins or triplets.

Energetic Lamb

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Lambs, or baby sheep, weigh about five to eight pounds when they are born. The sound lambs make is called bleating.

Tiny Piglets

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Baby pigs are called piglets and one pig mom can give birth to up to twelve piglets in the same litter.

Dairy Calf

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Many of the cows in a herd of cattle will come to celebrate when a calf, or baby cow, is born.

Yellow Chick

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All baby chickens are called chicks, but female chicks are also called pullets and males are also called cockerels. Chicks are born with an egg tooth, or bump on their beak, that helps them break out of their egg shell.

Horse Foal

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Young horses go by a few different names, but a foal is any baby horse who is less than one-year-old.

Swimming Ducklings

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Baby ducks are called ducklings and spend a lot of time with their mother after birth. Ducklings need their mom to feed them, keep them warm, and keep them safe.

Canada Goose Gosling

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A gosling, or baby goose, can swim right after it is born.

Frog Tadpole

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When it hatches from an egg, a tadpole, or baby frog, sticks to floating weeds or grasses to stay safe. After about a week, the tadpole can swim.

American Alligator Hatchling

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Alligator babies are called hatchlings because they hatch out of an egg. Alligator hatchlings have 60 to 80 sharp teeth when they are born.

Bonnethead Shark Pup

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Some sharks are born from eggs while others are birthed live, but they are all called pups. Learn more about specific shark species, like hammerhead sharks, to see how pups are cared for.

Seal Pup

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A baby seal is called a pup and gets nonstop care from its mother for only a few weeks. Then, baby seals have to summon the courage to get into the water on their own and find food.

Otter Pups

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Otter moms, dads, and siblings help take care of a new otter baby, or pup.

Stingray Pups

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Stingray pups are born through a live birth and look like mini versions of adult stingrays.

Seahorse Fry

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A baby seahorse is called a fry and seahorse dads are actually the ones to give birth after carrying around the seahorse eggs. Check out fun seahorse facts to discover more about seahorse fry.

Penguin Chicks

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Penguin chicks hatch out of an egg and are born with fluffy feathers that can't get wet.

Pet Puppies

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Dogs are said to be man's best friend and puppies, or baby dogs, might be a kid's best friends!

Pet Kittens

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Kittens, or baby cats, are some of the cutest and most playful baby animals. Kittens don't open their eyes until they are about ten days old.

Guinea Pig Pup

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Guinea pig pups nurse from their mom, but they can also eat solid foods as soon as they are born.

Hamster Pup

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Baby hamsters, or pups, are born blind and without hair. They grow very quickly and get teeth when they are about one week old.

Prickly Hoglet

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A baby hedgehog is called a hoglet and is born with soft spines that grow and sharpen within a few weeks.

Rabbit Kit

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Newborn rabbits, called kits, are born hairless and look a purplish color.

Ferret Kits

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A ferret kit relies on its mom for about the first four weeks of life because they are born hairless, death, and blind.

Corn Snakelet

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Some baby snakes, or snakelets, are born in a live birth while others hatch from eggs.

Gecko Hatchling

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Newborn geckos are called hatchlings and they are about three to four inches long.

Guinea Fowl Keet

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A baby guinea fowl is called a keet and guinea fowl moms are not very great at mothering as they basically ignore the babies after they're born.

Llama Cria

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"Cria" is the Spanish word for "baby" and it's what a baby llama is called. A baby llama drops from its mother to the ground at birth.

Discus Fry

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A baby fish is called a fry and when they develop their scales and fins, they are called fingerlings.

Cute Peachick

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A mom peafowl is called a peahen, a dad is called a peacock, and a baby is called a peachick. It's very difficult to tell whether a peachick is a male or female because they all look just like their moms at birth.

Platypus Puggle

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A baby platypus is called a puggle and is one of only two mammal babies to hatch from an egg.

Cute Animal Babies With Cute Names

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Your parents might have a bunch of adorable and wacky nicknames for you, but are any as cute and fun as these baby animal names? If you want to learn more about animals and baby animals, visit a website like National Geographic kids or visit a local zoo and ask the zookeepers questions. Check out our weird animal facts for even more entertainment too!

50+ Adorable Baby Animal Pictures You Just Have to See