12 Creepy Creatures That Are Actually Really Cute

Written by
Christina Donnelly
Christina Donnelly is a freelance writer and animal welfare advocate. She’s worked in the digital media industry for over a decade.
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Christina Donnelly
Updated 05/01/20
lemur

Deedee86 / Pixabay

 

Some things are just so bad, they’re actually good: most of the pop songs on the top 40, over-the-top cheesy holiday movies that actually make you feel real feelings, and any food made with Velveeta.

The same holds true for a lot of creepy creatures, too. Sure, they may be covered in make-your-skin-crawl scales, have ghoulish yellow eyes or act as vectors for all kinds of diseases—but when you really look at them, they can be kind of cute.

  • 01 of 12

    Sloths

    sloth in tree
    mikewink / Pixabay / CC0 Public Domain

    Between their vaguely human faces, long, death-grip nails and the fact that some species can turn their heads a whole 360 degrees, sloths can be a little disturbing. But they also kind of resemble the goofy kid on your block who had facial hair before anyone else, and that is endearing in a special way.

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  • 02 of 12

    Baby Snakes

    snake
    Huskyherz / Pixabay / CC0 Public Domain

    Snakes. Most people are afraid of them (because they were a threat to our early ancestors, according to some theories.) Cats are terrified of them and anything that resembles them, like cucumbers. Indiana Jones hates them. But snakes, in tiny, non-threatening, baby-form, are actually pretty cute! This little guy looks like he’d rather lick an ice cream cone than Anaconda you.

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  • 03 of 12

    Baby Alligators

    Goodfreephotos / CC0 Public Domain

    Let’s be clear: Adult alligators are not cute and are actually pretty terrifying. Baby alligators, however, look like they’d just nip your hand like a puppy and you’d laugh and pat their heads. Most likely, it’d be super painful. But still.

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  • 04 of 12

    Possums

    opossums
    videorevive / Pixabay / CC0 Public Domain

    There aren’t many things sweeter than an aggressive, territorial rodent digging through your garbage cans or nesting in your attic, are there? Possums in the wild are pretty horrifying, but this guy looks like he could host a children’s television show.

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  • 05 of 12

    Megabats

    bat in tree
    Anton Croos / WikiMedia Commons / CC by 4.0

    The children’s book Stellaluna made Megabats—otherwise known as fruit bats—seem pretty darn loveable. It almost makes you forget that fruit bats can actually carry several horrific diseases and viruses, and often bite human beings. Almost.

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  • 06 of 12

    Monkeys

    monke
    Pixel-mixer / Pixabay / CC0 Public Domain

    When they’re not spreading diseases, throwing their poop around or fighting each other, monkeys are generally accepted as very cute creatures. They’re especially cute when they look like a wise, gentle, old man who will train you to fight.

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  • 07 of 12

    Lemurs

    lemur
    Deedee86 / Pixabay / CC0 Public Domain

    If basic biology and horror movies have taught us anything, it’s that yellow eyes are generally not good. So, at first glance, a lemur may appear to have poor liver function (biology) or just be evil (horror movies), but their fuzzy, weirdo faces certainly make up for it.

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  • 08 of 12

    Bug-Eye Fish

    fish with bulging eyes
    Benson Kua / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0

    Feeling a fish’s slimy scales on your legs while you’re swimming in a lake or in the ocean is freaky. But it’s hard to be grossed out by this fish, who looks like she just got some bad news and is reacting adorably.

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  • 09 of 12

    Mice

    mouse
    Pexels / CC0 Public Domain

    Sure, mice carry disease, infest our homes, get into our food and poop all over the place, but just imagine this tiny mouse eating a tiny burrito or reading a tiny book. Has your disgust with mice diminished yet?

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  • 10 of 12

    Wild Pigs

    wild pig
    Magenbrot / Pixabay / CC0 Public Domain

    Wild pigs always get a bad rap as aggressive forest monsters—we’re looking at you, Lord of the Flies. These sweet pig brothers, however, make wild pigs look like mushy, super loving fuzzballs that just want to smooch.

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  • 11 of 12

    Baby Goats

    baby goat
    ElleEKay / Pixabay / CC0 Public Domain

    They scream like human beings, they love to climb on top of things and they have creepy, horizontal pupils; needless to say, goats are total weirdos. Their weirdness is totally endearing, however.

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  • 12 of 12

    Salamander

    salamander
    Usfwsmidwest / Flicker / CC BY 2.0

    A cross between a frog and a lizard, salamanders are all things that generally freak humans out—creepy, crawly and slimy—and if you’ve ever walked in the woods, you’ve been startled by a salamander darting out from under a rock. If you look long enough, though, their wide mouths almost look like a sweet amphibious smile.