Cute and strange animals
Katia Birger
Yesterday in the evening, photos of a new sweet little animal found by zoologists in Ecuador were scattered through social networks. The mammal is called Olingito and is described as "a mixture of a cat and a teddy bear." With such a characteristic, he has every chance of becoming our seasonal pet, temporarily pushing aside kittens, puppies and owls. Yes, the editors of Wonderzine, like everyone else, are ready to stick to the touching animals on the Internet (we will not say how paralyzed the work was during the preparation of this material).
The desire to share a link to a video about a raccoon stealing from a foreign house a "welcome" rug, or a photo of a capybara sitting in a pool and chewing corn on a stick, is as natural for a person as the habit of reading news in the morning. Moreover, it is scientifically proven that people always pay more attention to the image of an animal than to another friend’s selfie. For this instant and undiminished interest in the human brain, individual cells of the amygdala correspond. That is why in the zoo we first look at the aviary and its inhabitant, and only then we read the information on the plate next to it, and in social networks we part with the huskies under the dog's picture faster than we understand what post they were put to.
The animals squeeze out of us emotional cries of their helplessness, cute appearance and unpredictable behavior. All these videos / pictures / memes about anthropomorphic animals - a manifestation of the basic human fear of being the only reasonable species in the universe. That is why we are encouraged by the dolphin intelligence news. For the same reason, we treat a cat like a child and a friend. Proof of? Every tenth pet in the UK has an account on the social network. Even our office cat, Starkey, has a Facebook profile, and we give him as many likes as the new Yuri Saprykin column.
At the same time in recent times looking at the animals virtually sometimes much more interesting than in the same zoos and reserves. Just because animals look too normal in their natural surroundings, and they must be lucky enough for the beast to do something funny. In any case, remember the most important thing (and bring it to the attention of your boss): 15 minutes spent watching pictures of pretty animals at work will help you concentrate and increase your productivity. Proved by Japanese scientists. On this note, our editors go to meditate on a kobe with a relaxing seal.