Baby Animals: The Top 10

[narrator] Growing up in the wild can be pretty hardcore.

Imagine learning to leap... roar... swim ... or fly for the very first time.

You've got to get it right, because the faster you are, the stronger you are or even the better you can camouflage yourself, the greater your chances of surviving and thriving in the wilderness... when you grow up that is!

But with all this feral rivalry going on, you've got to wonder who really is Mother Nature's biggest... or smallest... or most dangerous untamed youngling of them all?

The answers will astound you, and we are counting them down from 10 to 1.

They are cute... they are 'wild'.

They are the 'cover girls and boys' of the animal kingdom and they know it!

They are... baby animals.

[theme music] Babies are cute, right?

It's practically a law.

They are little.

They are defenceless.

They are the very definition of gorgeous.

Well, today we are going to challenge that assumption with a trip into the world of baby animals with faces 'Only A Mother Or Father Could Love'.

But seriously, for the rest of us, these babies are... interesting to look at.

At best.

Here they are - the Top 10 'Not So Pretty Baby Animals'.

We are going to ease into today's 'Aesthetically Challenged Countdown' with a close relative.

As fellow primates, we share more than 90 percent of our DNA with these guys.

At Number 10, proboscis monkeys.

[quirky music] Thankfully, not many of us share their most prominent facial feature.

Check out that schnozz!

It's what puts the proboscis in proboscis monkey.

And it's pretty out there.

On a dominant male, that nose grows to over 10 centimetres long.

The bigger the nose, the more power and attention the male can attract.

You do you, male monkey.

[soft music] With the females and the babies, proboscis monkey noses are a little less... fleshy.

In fact, their pointy upturned noses could almost be described as cute.

And like most primate babies, proboscis monkey infants are pretty hard not to love.

Born tiny and helpless, with blue faces and sparse black fur, it doesn't take long for these infants to become intensely curious about their tree-living life.

Luckily, proboscis monkeys have their mothers on 24/7 watch for at least a year after they are born.

And there is a lot for these infants to learn.

As an almost exclusively arboreal species - meaning they live in trees - proboscis monkeys need to have some pretty impressive climbing and balancing skills.

Their flexible feet and hands help.

And so does their mother.

[soft gentle music] This little baby also needs its mother's supervision when it comes to dinner time.

Proboscis monkeys have a very delicate and complex digestive system... and their leaf and seed-based diet is hard to digest.

[soft upbeat music] They break it down with what's known as a foregut-fermenting digestive system.

So - wait for it - they will regularly regurgitate their food from one of the four chambers in their stomachs... and have another chew on it.

Unfortunately, that does nothing to make them seem more charming.

But the pot bellies that contain that massive four- chambered gut does add a bit of 'cute factor'.

Little known fact about proboscis monkeys - they can swim.

In fact, they're known as the most prolific swimmers of the primate world.

Which is handy because the rivers of Borneo - the only place proboscis monkeys are found - are populated by crocodiles.

[gentle music] You may be wondering where the dads are in the lives of infant proboscis monkeys.

Well, these 20 plus kilogram males are busy, keeping a very complex family functioning.

With one dominant male ruling the roost over seven or so females... male proboscis monkeys leave the child-rearing tasks to the mothers.

Proboscis monkeys are classified as endangered... but thankfully there are special reserves on the island of Borneo to help protect these unique creatures.

[gentle music continues] And we can only hope that when these cheeky monkeys are as big as their dad... they will be a part of increasing the population of proboscis monkeys... ruling the roost with the power of their big nose.

From the trees of Borneo... to the soaring eucalypts of Australia... it's time to take a close look at a baby face that actually looks like... a tree.

Number 9 on our list - the tawny frogmouth.

[gentle music] Before we deep dive on these fluffy 'tree impersonators', we need to get something clear... tawny frogmouths are not owls.

They look a lot like owls with those big staring eyes... and, in fact, the second part of their scientific name - strigoides - actually means 'owl-like'.

But if you look closely under all those fluffy feathers, you will see that tawny frogmouths do not have sharp talons on their feet like owls.

But let's go back up to that tiny fluffy face.

Once it emerges from its egg, a tawny frogmouth chick stands around 5cm tall - about the same height as a double A battery - and within two weeks it will be covered in grey fluff.

Within a month, juvenile feathers will grow in and slowly the baby frogmouth starts to resemble its larger parents.

[chirps softly] Speaking of Mum and Dad, frogmouth parents are pretty special among birds.

A pair of frogmouths will mate for life - raising one or two clutches a year.

They share the care 50/50... sitting on eggs... keeping hatchlings warm... and roosting with the growing babies for their first few months.

Both Mum and Dad also share a complete inability to build a strong nest.

Tawny frogmouth nests are more... piles of sticks and leaves on a tree branch, than actual nests.

But it's OK because the flimsy nests are a part of the tawny frogmouth's greatest skill.

These birds are masters of disguise.

Their choice of costume is always the same.

Pretty much everything about tawny frogmouth 'family life'... is about pretending to be a tree.

Their feathers match the markings on tree bark.

Plus, they have an uncanny ability to freeze in the shape of a branch.

A sneaky combination that's perfectly designed to make a tawny frogmouth family invisible - to predators and prey alike.

[upbeat percussion music] [birds chirp] [upbeat music] Like all birds and a lot of reptiles, tawny frogmouths have a nictitating membrane on their eyes - sometimes known as a third eyelid.

Wait!

A third eyelid?

On a bird's eye, their first eyelid closes from the top.

And the second eyelid from the bottom.

And then, there's the third one - the nictitating membrane - which closes horizontally across the eye.

It acts a bit like a windscreen wiper, keeping the eye clean and moist while also shielding it from any damage.

Even after they are independent, tawny frogmouth chicks will hang around in their parent's territory for anything up to a year.

But when young tawny frogmouths do leave the nest for good, they leave their 'bonded for life' parents together to do what adult tawny frogmouths do... cuddling... staring... and living their best lives... pretending to be a tree.

[upbeat music] [curious music] Leaving the wilds of Australia for the tamer confines of a barnyard near you.

Our next baby is considered a domestic animal... a farm favourite - and a lover of mud.

Number 8...the pig.

And if you are wondering why we think these sweet little snoots are faces 'Only A Mother Can Love'... you've got to take a look at the mamas.

It isn't hard to get a good look because they seem to be completely exhausted at all times.

And here's why.

A mother pig, or sow, will have litters of nine to 13 piglets on average.

And these little swines are not lacking in personality.

[curious music continues] Born weighing around 1 kilogram piglets usually double their weight in their first week of life.

And that growing just keeps on going.

[cheery music] By eight weeks, these little piggies will weigh about 16 kilograms.

As adults, they could weigh 300 kilograms.

That's similar to 100 bowling balls!

Piglets have pretty poor eyesight... and that's where their snout comes in.

Pig snouts are part shovel... part piggy hands... and all 'super sniffer'.

[curious music] Pigs spend about 75 percent of their day using their snouts to shift dirt... mud... food... pretty much anything.

They can sort through objects and find their favourite with their nose.

And pigs have super noses, because they have more olfactory receptors than most mammals.

But how do they smell?

Pretty bad, to be fair.

But they don't care.

At the back end of a piglet lurks possibly the cutest thing in the animal kingdom - the curly tail.

Not all pig breeds have a curly 'butt attachment' but many do.

The curly tail is believed to be derived from ancient Chinese pig breeds... but it is mostly a domestic pig thing.

Wild pigs don't have curly tails.

And what do pigs do with that sweet, springy thing?

[relaxed music] Number one - it's an excellent fly swatter.

Two - it's a very cute, but also a genuine indicator of pig happiness.

Stressed piglets will straighten out their tails.

And three, it's believed to be curly so that the pig can keep it close to its body when piglet play gets a bit rough.

There are many pig myths that are worth busting.

You know how we say, "I am eating like a pig"?

Well piglets are definitely not the most patient or neat eaters... but they aren't naturally overweight at all.

In fact, that bulk you see in the mother pig is muscle.

Piggy myth buster number two - piglets are not dirty.

Unlike many animals, they keep a very neat house and will never mix the areas where they eat... and where they let the food come out the other end.

But one pig saying is definitely correct... 'Happy as a pig in mud'.

Pigs don't sweat very much - which means piglets need another way to cool down.

And their favourite chill-out spot is with their mum... in squishy... glorious... mud.

[soft gentle music] From an animal that can be found just about anywhere in the world to one that can only be found in one tiny rugged corner of it.

Meet Number 7 - the Tasmanian devil.

A cantankerous, carnivorous resident of a small island state off the southern coast of mainland Australia.

Tasmanian devils are marsupials which means they raise their babies in a pouch.

But here's where the ferocious nature of the Tasmanian devil begins.

[soft music] A mother devil will give birth to between 20 and 40 young... each of them about the size of a grain of rice.

Inside her pouch, there are only four teats... so competition is tough and only the strongest joeys will survive.

After around four months, the baby Tasmanian devils will emerge from the pouch... and while they will stay protected in a den for another couple of months... competition is still fierce.

After all... these creatures are the biggest carnivorous marsupials on earth.

They need to learn how to crunch creatures, so why not practise on each other?

While they are mostly scavengers, Tasmanian devils will hunt smaller prey like birds.

So the joeys need to develop their climbing skills.

One of the reasons these babies top our list of faces 'Only A Mother Could Love' is because of their truly scary facial expressions.

In reality, most of this snarling and teeth-showing is for display... a small furry attempt to scare away threats.

But all the same, this is not the reaction you want when you reach down to pat a sweet little creature.

Which leads us to our next point - don't try to pat a Tasmanian devil.

Ever.

These little fellows may be the size of a small dog... but they pack the strongest bite force for their body mass of any living carnivore.

[soft tense music] Their jaws and teeth are built for crunching through bone... flesh... hair... all the bits of their prey.

Their 42 teeth are constantly sharpening and growing.

Those jaws can open up to 80 degrees.

For comparison, a human jaw can only open half that wide - even when we are trying to take a bite of a really huge sandwich.

Tasmanian devils are a wholly protected species.

This is because their numbers are now so low that captive bred 'insurance populations' have had to be established.

The hope is that one day these special populations raised in sanctuaries can be released back into the wild.

A combination of habitat loss and a devastating facial tumour disease... has reduced the wild population of devils by 80 percent since the late 1990s.

[gentle music] With less than 25,000 Tasmanian devils left in the wild, the practice of breeding devils in special reserves and animal parks is the best hope this species has of surviving into the future.

Now, if facts about bite force and sibling rivalry aren't enough to convince you why the Tasmanian devil is a baby animal 'Only A Mother Could Love' - consider this fact... Tasmanian devils stink.

Like really stink.

A combination of wet dog and a curious musk they use to mark their territory.

Thankfully, their mothers don't mind it at all... which is lucky - because every creature needs a bit of Mummy love... even if it comes with 42 sharp teeth.

[soft acoustic guitar music] While not all babies in the animal kingdom can say their parents love them unconditionally... coming in at Number 6... is the Australian pelican... a baby bird whose parents are tenderly devoted to their chicks, but know how to deal out some tough love.

Life in a pelican nest is competitive from the get- go.

[birds squawk] A female pelican will lay two, sometimes three eggs every breeding season.

But here's the catch... she lays each egg a few days apart, which means they hatch at different times.

And this sets up a life of sibling rivalry... and brother and sister pelicans do not mess around.

It's quite literally a 'life or death' battle between them.

Competition for survival kicks off in the nest... with arguments between bald hatchlings about which one gets to stay warm under Mum's body.

[relaxed music] They have three months to grow into independent juveniles and every moment of those three months is tough.

[soft cheery music] But it's not all grim in the pelican world.

Male and female pelicans participate equally in the raising of their chicks.

Both build nests... both take turns keeping the eggs warm... and both feed their growing babies.

Baby pelicans spend long hours waiting while their parents catch food with their massive pouched bills.

This thick-skinned marvel - known as a gular pouch... can hold up to 13 litres of water and fish.

And parent pelicans need all that capacity to provide for their hungry hatchlings.

[soft dramatic music] With this need for constant food - and humans fishing in their waterways - competition is tough between the growing pelicans.

As adorable as these fluffy babies are, it is not unknown for the bigger chicks to kill smaller ones or for mothers to kill a chick to reduce demand.

Here's a challenge for the details-oriented among us - how can you tell when it's breeding season for Australian pelicans?

Look really closely.

For most of the year, their yellow eye rings are pale, but when they're courting, they become much brighter.

Another colour change happens with their bill pouch.

The front part becomes bright pink.

Subtle signs that love is in the air.

There's no doubt a pelican's bill is an impressive bit of engineering.

Around half a metre long with a hook on the end to grab slippery fish.

But even when it comes to baby pelicans, their pouched bills can indeed hold more than their bellies can.

Three times as much.

Try that with your mouth!

Actually don't.

It would probably be quite dangerous.

[pensive music] We are leaving our feathered friends behind to meet some scaly, slithery ones.

And while their faces are definitely not ones you want to get up close and personal with... it's not just because of the way they look... it's about what they can do.

Slithering their way into Number 5... a couple of venomous snakes... the spitting cobra... and the eyelash viper.

Let's begin at the beginning... with a clutch of spitting cobra eggs native to sub-Saharan Africa - usually around 10 to 15 of them.

After incubating for a couple of months, completely independent, highly venomous snakelets emerge, measuring 20 to 25 centimetres.

[soft curious music] On the sides of baby spitting cobra necks, you can see black markings.

This is the beginning of the cobra's hood.

And when we say hood, we don't mean 'comfy sweater that wraps around your head'.

We mean...this.

[tense music] A cobra hood is formed when they expand the muscles and ribs on both sides of their neck.

And if you get the chance to see one of these while chatting to a spitting cobra, can we suggest you remove yourself from the situation as soon as possible.

Because here's the thing - that hood is a sign that a cobra is not happy.

And a spitting cobra has an extra special way of letting you know exactly how unhappy it is.

Yep, you guessed it, they spit.

The venom that is flying out of those fangs can travel two to three metres.

It's designed to blind anything that's freaking a spitting cobra out.

[quirky music] The eyelash viper from South America isn't a spitter - which is nice.

But, being a viper, it is in possession of some of the longest fangs in the animal world.

Well, this one will when it grows up.

When they first hatch, baby eyelash vipers are only 15 to 18 centimetres long - about half a school ruler.

When fully grown, this bright little viper will be about five times that.

The eyelash viper is named for its bristly scales that adorn their eyes, which are thought to help break up the outline of their head, giving them camouflage amongst the leaves.

And, even though it really does have quite a pretty face... if you happen to be a hummingbird... or a frog... it's probably best you don't get too close.

A snake uses its venom to subdue its prey.

And once the prey is calm... the snake wastes no time eating it.

But there's a problem... snakes don't have anything to hold onto their food with and rip it apart.

So they use their jaws a bit like hands.

Their top and bottom jaws can move independently... and can turn their prey around so it goes in headfirst.

Then, using their teeth and separate jaws, they inch the food into their mouth... and down the hatch - whole.

And after that... powerful enzymes in the snake's gut get working on that frog-shaped lump.

[cheery music] Yes, they are venomous and dangerous, but that doesn't make these reptiles any less fascinating.

Still, we are definitely not encouraging you to make friends with an eyelash viper or a spitting cobra... even a baby one.

Because we all know, spitting and poisoning your friends is not nice.

[dramatic music] If you flew around the whole planet, pretending to be our next animal, you would find over 350 species that would call you 'family'.

Number 4 on our 'Countdown Of Baby Animals That Only A Mother Could Love' is the parrot.

And as much as we admire the brilliant colours and the delightful behaviours of parrots... the babies aren't all that pretty.

While we leave this mother budgerigar to protect her eggs, let's take a quick look at the wonderful world of parrots.

Parrots are a family of birds called 'Psittacines'.

They all have strong, curved bills... an upright stance... plus sturdy legs with clawed feet - two toes facing the front and two facing backwards.

But that's pretty much where the similarities end within the parrot family.

Parrots are a super diverse group of birds.

From tiny budgies... and ringnecks... through to brilliantly coloured rosellas and lorikeets... to the giant cockatoos and macaws.

Like all birds, parrots emerge from eggs.

Before a chick can take to the air as a totally independent parrot, it has four life stages to go through.

From totally dependent hatchling... through demanding nestling... to brave but unskilled fledgling... then learning the hard lessons as a weanling.

And finally, pretty much 'good to go' as a juvenile.

Each parrot species varies slightly when it comes to how long it takes to grow up, but generally speaking it is less than three months between bald baby... huddling for warmth with your siblings, under your mother... to fully feathered and flying free with the flock.

Phew.

That was a tongue twister.

See how these hatchlings are different sizes?

That is because many parrots lay asynchronously.

That means they will lay eggs over a number of days and the first to hatch will start to grow, while its siblings are still snuggling inside their egg.

It is believed this maximises the number of chicks that make it to adult bird life.

[tense music] Because unfortunately, parrots - especially baby parrots - are easy pickings for predators.

Growing up 'parrot' is a lot like growing up 'human'.

Parrots are social creatures that rely on each other for everything from warmth... to feeding... to learning.

This is one of the reasons why many parrots struggle in captivity.

They need their flock to thrive.

Having said that, many parrot species are so full of personality and curiosity that they will not hesitate to get right up in the business of any human they take a shine to.

[acoustic guitar music] These budgerigar babies have a secret.

They all have the same parents.

Yet as their feathers start to come in, they look different.

What's going on here?

[soft squawks] There are at least 32 different colour variations seen in domestic or pet budgies... but they all come from two base colours - white - the blue, grey or white birds - and yellow - the yellow or green budgies.

So, even if both parents are the same colour, their chicks can develop different plumage.

Baby parrots might have some work to do to be as beautiful as their parents... but they can look forward to being super clever.

A study in the journal 'Behaviour' recently found that a range of parrot species were as intelligent as a five-year-old human.

And if you have ever tried to bargain with a five- year-old about bedtime or snacks... you will get that these parrot chicks are going to be a handful when they grow up.

[squawking] OK, we are into the Top 3 now and when it comes to cute baby faces, our final trio are definitely an acquired taste.

Let's journey now to the rainforests of the southern hemisphere... because in pretty much all of those lush, green habitats lurks our next aesthetically challenged baby animal.

Number 3 - the tarantula.

[soft industrious music] To be fair, for a spider, the tarantula really pulls out all the stops to make people go, "Awwwww".

Lots of fuzzy hair... sweet temperament... eight legs and eyes.

OK, maybe that last one is only adorable to the arachnologists among us.

And maybe to tarantula mothers.

Given the largest species of tarantula can measure up to 30 centimetres from leg tip to leg tip - that's similar in size to a large adult's hand, mother tarantulas do some heavy duty child rearing... but not for long.

Up to 2,000 spiderlings can be found nestled happily on their mother's back.

These littlies can measure between the size of a pea... and a peanut.

But no matter their size, they are all jostling for space while their exoskeletons harden.

After they shed their exoskeleton, or moult, for the first time... these spiderlings will start to grow hair like their mother.

And although they are tiny, they head off confidently into spider life.

[pensive music] But let's take a step backwards because tarantula mothers do something else before they give up their backs to thousands of babies.

See that large ball of spider silk?

That's an egg sac.

One of many containing up to 100 eggs each.

Together, these sacs are a mother tarantula's most prized possessions... which she will defend aggressively from inside her burrow... because tarantulas are way too big to hang out in webs.

[soft quirky music] Tarantulas, be they babies or grown-ups... may look scary, but they are not particularly dangerous to humans.

There is very little chance a tarantula will try to kill you in your sleep.

The news is not so good if you are a worm... or a small reptile.

But for us, a tarantula bite is about as dangerous as a bee sting.

And, while baby spiders are born with the instinct and ability to bite... they do not have enough venom onboard to affect a human.

Having said that, if you come upon a family of baby tarantulas on their first adventure off their mother's back... we very strongly suggest you leave them to do their adventuring alone.

[soft jaunty music] In the wild, some species of tarantula can enjoy long life spans of 20 years or more.

And that might be due to the fact that there aren't too many creatures willing to take on a dinner- plate-sized venomous hairy beast.

So, each one of these tiny babies has a fair shot at a long life in the rainforest at the bottom end of the world.

And hopefully not crawling across our faces while we sleep.

On this journey through the world of - let's not dress it up - ugly babies - we've had spitting snakelets... freeloading spiderlings... and siblings that don't think twice about killing each other.

So...what could possibly top that?

Our Top 2 baby animals with faces 'Only A Mother Could Love' that's what.

So, let's wade into the bayous of the southern United States of America and meet Number 2 on our list... the American alligator.

These little members of the crocodilian family are born with the ability to swim like champions.

These little guys may be only 15 centimetres long, but a big waterway will not scare them.

And alligators are opportunistic eaters.

If there is food around, they will eat it.

With up to 80 of those tiny teeth to work with... a baby alligator can eat around a quarter of its own weight per meal.

Small mammals, amphibians, fish... pretty much anything an alligator can swallow whole is fair game... which is good, because these baby alligators need to get going on growing.

They will eventually be anything up to five metres long.

That's roughly five guitars lying end to end.

But baby alligators don't have to do all the work themselves.

Alligator mothers are surprisingly attentive parents.

And they go above and beyond to protect their babies.

After hatching, which usually happens in a nest away from the water, a mother alligator will do everything she can to get her babies to the place they will call 'home' as they grow... carrying them in her mouth if she needs to.

And once they are there... she will even let her babies hitch a ride on her back if they get tired.

We would advise not getting close enough to a baby alligator to work out whether it's a girl or a boy... just in case Mum is close by.

But here's something super interesting about alligator hatchling gender - whether a baby alligator is born male or female depends on the temperature in their nest during their first ten days of development.

Warmer temperatures make male babies, while a cooler nest means female hatchlings will emerge.

Baby alligators are perfect miniatures of their parents.

They are born with all the things they need to succeed as an apex carnivore... tiny teeth... tiny claws... and tiny jaws.

Luckily for us, humans are not their favourite food.

And also, despite their fearsome-looking faces and powerful bodies... alligators are actually pretty placid creatures.

Though we are guessing that fish wouldn't agree with that statement.

Why do alligators hang out on the surface of the water?

There are a couple of reasons.

First, like most reptiles, they are cold-blooded.

This means they need the warmth of the sun to keep their systems functioning.

Secondly, even though alligators are super swimmers... they can't breathe underwater.

[soft relaxed music] They can hold their breath easily from anywhere between 20 minutes to 2 hours.

Even longer if the water is very cold.

But the rest of the time they keep their nostrils above the surface of the water breathing easily.

Even the babies.

While they do have a full set of chompers and pretty tough skin, baby alligators are vulnerable to predators.

Water birds, racoons and even other alligators will take a baby easily... which means these little critters are incredibly lucky to have a mother that goes the extra mile to show how much she loves their faces.

If ever there was a kingdom where beauty is in the eye of the beholder it is most definitely the animal kingdom.

Which brings us at last to our Number 1 baby animal that 'Only Its Mother Could Love'.

And here it is - this teeny tiny hyena infant in its snuggly bed.

Wait, is this the right list?

This little one is so adorable.

Yeah, think again, because this is a baby hyena.

And even though this one is an orphan, being hand-raised by humans, hyenas are not for cuddling.

The faces on these babies practically yell "Keep away at all costs".

[upbeat music] Found throughout Africa, Asia and the Middle East, hyenas are known for their bloodthirsty nature.

But, surprisingly, they are extraordinary parents.

Generally, a hyena mother will give birth to anywhere between one and three black cubs.

You might be expecting that a hyena baby would be called a pup.

They look like baby dogs, right?

But hyenas are surprisingly more closely related to cats.

Not that they are cats - or dogs.

They actually form their very own animal family called 'Hyaenidae'.

But... back to hyena parenting skills.

A mother hyena will exclusively feed and care for her cubs for most of their first year of life.

Every little thing a baby hyena needs to know comes from Mum.

And we should be really clear on this - the things a hyena needs to know are not pleasant... as evidenced by the fact this hyena is taking a bath to wash off the 'post-dinner' blood.

Hyenas are both hunters... and scavengers... which basically means if you are made of meat, a hyena will try to eat you.

[tense music] And, they are clever.

In studies, hyenas have been found to outperform chimpanzees on intelligence tests ... which probably means they are smarter than a lot of humans... which probably also means... we should avoid trying to outsmart them.

Even the babies look like they know a thing or two.

[soft music] Hyenas have one of the most extraordinary reproductive systems in the mammal realm.

In fact, early naturalists were so confused by what they observed, they believed hyenas were capable of switching their gender.

What is actually going on is that the female hyena's genitalia are all external.

It is a curious adaptation... one that makes delivering a cub difficult, as the birth canal is very narrow.

As a result, many babies don't make it through the birth process.

But, given the harshness of the hyena's habitat and lifestyle, maybe keeping the population limited to the very strongest individuals is a smart move.

Told you they were clever!

[upbeat theme music]