So many cute critters; so little time (or opportunity) to pet them all.
Fernando Magyarsays
Does it taste better than veal?
Just kidding…
Simon Scottsays
Glad to see you edited out the last 30 seconds of video PZ, where you jumped out and clubbed it to death.
Richard Harrissays
When Darwin visited, the animals were tame, either because they’d not evolved a flight response to humans, or they’d lost that instict. I suppose that they’re still tame – evolution hasn’t yet had time to cause them to become frightened of humans, & recent protection for the tourist trade isn’t having a dire evolutionary effect. This little feller seems tame enough, & mom didn’t seem to be harrassing the tourists. Wonderful.
Too bad we can’t see evolution in action, though. I guess there was about two centuries of predation of the Galapagos fauna by whalers & buccaneers, so not enough generations for evolution to cut in. And maybe these sea lions don’t taste too good anyway?
ericsays
New poll by CBS!
Its political, not scientific, but pharynguloids may be interested in clicking on it.
Its from PBS and the poll question is, “Is Sarah Palin qualified to be Vice President?”
Baby mammals of all flavours are cute and endearing. Mostly so they survive childhood, I’d imagine. Or to be more accurate, the lovable ones are the most likely to survive til breeding age.
llewellysays
Baby mammals are cute because they grow up to be tasty food.
Stephen Wellssays
Next time you get a creationist whining that you couldn’t get a land creature evolving into a sea creature,as they’ve tended to do re whales, this would be a good one to repost. It’s visibly a doglike tetrapod whose limbs has become flippers but which gets around fine on land when it needs to; a visibly transitional form.*
*Everything which breeds is a transitional form…
SteveNsays
Pony stated:
Baby mammals of all flavours are cute and endearing.
FWIW, seal tastes a lot like liver, but has a different texture. Maybe sea-lion tastes similar.
clinteassays
//evolution hasn’t yet had time to cause them to become frightened of humans//
Now theres an interesting topic ! Acquired treats are not inherited,does that still hold true? Id be curious to hear from the smart guys here about that,because I always wondered about this one in particular.
Clearly members of a species that get clubbed over the head anytime they show up at some place at some time will learn to not show up,and pass that on to their offspring by word of mouth or whatever goes for that in the animal kingdom,but thats got nothing to do with inheritance.
clinteas: I’m not an expert, but I assume it’s because many of those individuals that went near humans got clubbed on the head, so a mutant which avoided humans would be more likely to survive.
Thus why it takes a long time for it to work: see dodos. Communication and perhaps even learning are not necessarily required, though they would certainly speed it up.
Aphrodinesays
Thanks a lot, ASSHOLE. You just gave me diabetes because that seal pup was WAY TOO SWEET! *ba-da-CHA!*
You know, I bet the animals on the island probably can all relate to Britney Spears and her paparazzi crowds. :)
Nice video! Do you have one where you see an pantiless upskirt shot of the seal?
j/k — I’m sure the animals probably love all the attention. :)
Sven DiMilosays
pass that on to their offspring by word of mouth or whatever goes for that in the animal kingdom
Well, there’s the thing. Teaching is exceedingly rare in the animal kingdom. Seehere.
The Peteysays
awwwwwwwwwww
I wanna gives it hugs
LisaJsays
Awwww, cute litle baby. Again…. JEALOUS!!
Heraclidessays
While (older) sea lions in my (limited) experience generally just lob out, unless its mating season when the males are more aggressive, fur seals can be very curious and can come up to check you out. Trust me, if you think this little one is cute, you really want to hang out with fur seals! I used to sit on a some rocks in the harbour and watch some local fur seals spin around, jump in the water and generally play around. Great entertainment.
@19: Interesting point.
@20: If you could smell them, you might not!
Heraclidessays
Erm, that’s blob out, not lob out. Sorry.
Trishsays
Even manatees are cute. I hugged one and she took me for a mini underwater ride. It was all cool though, when they tire of us the swim a bit up river. We wouldn’t want to overstay our welcome.
Emmet Caulfield says
Awwww… isn’t s/he cute!
savve says
AAAAWWWW!
SEF says
So many cute critters; so little time (or opportunity) to pet them all.
Fernando Magyar says
Does it taste better than veal?
Just kidding…
Simon Scott says
Glad to see you edited out the last 30 seconds of video PZ, where you jumped out and clubbed it to death.
Richard Harris says
When Darwin visited, the animals were tame, either because they’d not evolved a flight response to humans, or they’d lost that instict. I suppose that they’re still tame – evolution hasn’t yet had time to cause them to become frightened of humans, & recent protection for the tourist trade isn’t having a dire evolutionary effect. This little feller seems tame enough, & mom didn’t seem to be harrassing the tourists. Wonderful.
Too bad we can’t see evolution in action, though. I guess there was about two centuries of predation of the Galapagos fauna by whalers & buccaneers, so not enough generations for evolution to cut in. And maybe these sea lions don’t taste too good anyway?
eric says
New poll by CBS!
Its political, not scientific, but pharynguloids may be interested in clicking on it.
Its from PBS and the poll question is, “Is Sarah Palin qualified to be Vice President?”
http://www.pbs.org/now/polls/poll-435.html
Claire says
Why are baby sea mammals so cute?? So adorable.
Pony says
Baby mammals of all flavours are cute and endearing. Mostly so they survive childhood, I’d imagine. Or to be more accurate, the lovable ones are the most likely to survive til breeding age.
llewelly says
Baby mammals are cute because they grow up to be tasty food.
Stephen Wells says
Next time you get a creationist whining that you couldn’t get a land creature evolving into a sea creature,as they’ve tended to do re whales, this would be a good one to repost. It’s visibly a doglike tetrapod whose limbs has become flippers but which gets around fine on land when it needs to; a visibly transitional form.*
*Everything which breeds is a transitional form…
SteveN says
Pony stated:
You mean like a baby naked mole rat?
http://www.babyanimalz.com/images/molerat.jpg
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess ;-)
Emmet Caulfield says
FWIW, seal tastes a lot like liver, but has a different texture. Maybe sea-lion tastes similar.
clinteas says
//evolution hasn’t yet had time to cause them to become frightened of humans//
Now theres an interesting topic ! Acquired treats are not inherited,does that still hold true? Id be curious to hear from the smart guys here about that,because I always wondered about this one in particular.
Clearly members of a species that get clubbed over the head anytime they show up at some place at some time will learn to not show up,and pass that on to their offspring by word of mouth or whatever goes for that in the animal kingdom,but thats got nothing to do with inheritance.
Emmet Caulfield says
Not true. If my dad acquired a bar of chocolate and suddenly died, my mother would eat it.
;)
Jivlain says
clinteas: I’m not an expert, but I assume it’s because many of those individuals that went near humans got clubbed on the head, so a mutant which avoided humans would be more likely to survive.
Thus why it takes a long time for it to work: see dodos. Communication and perhaps even learning are not necessarily required, though they would certainly speed it up.
Aphrodine says
Thanks a lot, ASSHOLE. You just gave me diabetes because that seal pup was WAY TOO SWEET! *ba-da-CHA!*
Aaron says
You know, I bet the animals on the island probably can all relate to Britney Spears and her paparazzi crowds. :)
Nice video! Do you have one where you see an pantiless upskirt shot of the seal?
j/k — I’m sure the animals probably love all the attention. :)
Sven DiMilo says
Well, there’s the thing. Teaching is exceedingly rare in the animal kingdom. See here.
The Petey says
awwwwwwwwwww
I wanna gives it hugs
LisaJ says
Awwww, cute litle baby. Again…. JEALOUS!!
Heraclides says
While (older) sea lions in my (limited) experience generally just lob out, unless its mating season when the males are more aggressive, fur seals can be very curious and can come up to check you out. Trust me, if you think this little one is cute, you really want to hang out with fur seals! I used to sit on a some rocks in the harbour and watch some local fur seals spin around, jump in the water and generally play around. Great entertainment.
@19: Interesting point.
@20: If you could smell them, you might not!
Heraclides says
Erm, that’s blob out, not lob out. Sorry.
Trish says
Even manatees are cute. I hugged one and she took me for a mini underwater ride. It was all cool though, when they tire of us the swim a bit up river. We wouldn’t want to overstay our welcome.
Bert Chadick says
Awww. Cute Cute Cute!
The still begs for an LOL. For Seattle residents:
Oh Hai. Wich way is teh Ballurd Lox?
Steve_C says
Just keep Sarah Palin away from it… she’d beat it with a bat in a heartbeat.
Sili says
I’m a horrible, horrible man …
NJ Osprey says
@Claire #8
“Why are baby sea mammals so cute?? So adorable.”
For the same reason as human babies….so that their parents don’t eat them.
Nix says
Trish @#24: Oh, the huge manatee!
(hat tip: Skatje)
Falyne says
Nyawwwwwwwww, too kyooooooot……….
reverted says
There are lots more cute baby animal pics here (like the baby otter, for example). :)