Online animals of the year: Cute faces and a rat's resolve
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Animals can melt the human heart, tickle the funny bone or bring us to tears.
[...] thanks to Instagram, YouTube and other online options, you can enjoy their antics simply by following, liking or pinning them.
Dr. Bonnie Beaver, executive director of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and a professor at Texas A&M University's College of Veterinary Medicine, says two things make animal photos and videos so popular.
— Many animals have physical traits that subconsciously cause humans to nurture, like large, round heads and large eyes.
The Associated Press got hooked on six animals in 2015, from dogs and cats to a panda and a rat, whose popularity is likely to continue into the new year.
The 3-year-old, 4-pounder with feline dwarfism is making her second movie as well as a cartoon series, and is featured in a series of Random House Little Golden Books (the first being "The Little Grumpy Cat that Wouldn't").
Methachittiphan started posting photos of the feline with striped fur and big blue eyes and Nala's popularity exploded.
Donations to their wedding registry at www.zola.com/registry/toastandfinn will raise money to fight puppy mills and pay for care for needy animals.
Bei Bei's public debut is scheduled for mid-January, but fans can follow his every squirm and squeal online.
A video of a rat dragging an entire slice of pizza down the steps of a Manhattan subway station was posted on YouTube on Sept. 22.
The video flourished on late night TV and earned "Pizza Rat" a nomination in The New York Times' "New Yorker of the Year" contest "for embodying our collective id."