72 Cutest Animals (2016–…): Season 1, Episode 9 - Quirky Quadrupeds - full transcript

NARRATOR: Cute is in the eye
of the beholder.

Revealing 72 of the world's cutest animals
is an eclectic list.

They're unique, possibly eccentric
with a touch of the unusual,

and of course, totally adorable.

We explore a broad range of
the cutest animals across the world,

and in the process,
define just how cute even

the quirkiest of animals can be.

Bulldozing its way into the top of the
programme is a stubborn little character

with an extremely soft side.

They may look a little like a cuddly bear

and this critter will definitely
lap up the attention,



but beware,
this is also an animal with attitude.

BRENDAN SHEEAN:
Winnie's a bit of a character,

she has her good days where
she's very loving and very social,

wants to say hello to the keepers
and get a good back scratch

and then there's other days where
she's a bit moody, a bit cranky.

Likes to chase the
keepers and volunteers around,

try and give them a nip on the ankle.

NARRATOR: For a wombat, a little nip here
and there is often seen as playtime.

However, when you're a wise old marsupial

you've earned the right
to make your own rules.

She's actually 28 years old

and common wombats only live
to around their mid-20s.

So she's getting quite old

but quite healthy and still
living out her golden years.



NARRATOR:
It seems when it comes to retirement,

the wombats of Australia have their
keepers wrapped around their little paws.

BRETT MCKECHNIE:
Our albino wombat

she's what we think is the
oldest wombat in Australia.

She's at least 35 years old

from when we date back
through our records.

Her memory's probably better than ours,
she's got more stories than us.

She doesn't take any crap.

If you don't give her the right food
she won't eat it.

If you don't give her a pat
she'll give you the dirty eye.

She has got some stories,
she's got some nicks here and there,

bites on her ears and
some scratches on her bum

but that's all in a day
in the life of a wombat.

NARRATOR: Wombats are exceptionally strong
and are very powerful diggers,

bulldozing burrows up to 30 metres long
and with all this digging,

they're well equipped with
a backwards facing pouch,

devised to avoid the dirt
when they're building their dens.

They also have a plate on their back

and that's designed to protect themselves

against predators like dingoes or foxes
that might want to try and bite down.

They can use that to
squash the head of the predator

onto the roof of the burrow.

NARRATOR:
That's one tough butt!

However, when you're
in your twilight years

the advice from Winnie is that it's all
about comfort and a lot of pampering.

One of our lovely volunteers
actually brought her in a teddy bear,

so she lives with that teddy bear.

It keeps her kind of company

and she likes to snuggle up
to it each day.

All wombats are cute when they sleep.

They start on their side and
start to scratch around,

when they fall a bit deeper they'll
roll over onto their back,

put their little paws in the air
and scratch their tummies and kick around.

BRENDAN: We've actually given
her blankets and doonas

and she'll wrap herself up

a lot tighter than I can
wrap myself in bed

and she'll sleep all day
with that doona covering her.

NARRATOR: All snuggled up,

Winnie will no doubt be dreaming
of her life as an athletic star.

Don't laugh, while you may not think
a mini-tank would be that fast,

set the challenge for 100 metres

and a wombat can clock it in less
than 10 seconds,

a possible contender for
the next Olympics, perhaps.

However, that also requires motivation,

and really, it's much easier
to just mosey along,

stopping here and there

to try to scratch that itch
you just can't quite reach.

(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING)

There is more to being cute
than just having a pretty face.

Some animals instantly make us smile

and while others may not be so attractive,

their quirkiness and relationship with
humans can be incredibly charming.

We explore the characteristics

that allows each animal
to claim the title of "Cute".

Who will be the cutest?

In the end,
it's more than just good looks.

Winnie the grumpy, but adorable wombat

is a great ambassador for this species and
being first up it's going to the top spot,

but whinnying its way into the line-up
is a very majestic contender.

How can we have a list of cute animals
and leave out one of our most familiar?

The humble horse has been intertwined
with humans for over 4,000 years.

You might be surprised to know
that there are over 300 breeds,

and they come in all shapes and sizes.

We've got here Classique,

who is a Clydesdale horse,

one of the world's
biggest breeds of horses

and Sketch, who is a miniature horse,

one of the world's smallest horses.

NARRATOR: This is only a friendship,
they are not a couple,

although Steven does
have some thoughts on that.

They've been housed together
for the last two years.

They seem to have fallen in love.

When they separate or one has to go out
to do a show or anything like that,

the other one cries in the stall,
making little whinnying noises...

(MIMICS WHINNYING NOISE)

...until the other one comes back.

The miniature horse's personality
is very naughty, sometimes,

he's a little show off.

The Clydesdale's personality,

she's very reserved.

The only time she does
get a bit of a fancy trot up,

is when you let her go
into the paddocks at night.

NARRATOR:
Steven has obvious affection

for this unusual duo,

he really does enjoy time with them,
the long and short of it is...

If I was going to explain them
in three words

it would be

beautiful, inseparable

and fun.

NARRATOR: If there is one group
of passionate animal lovers

it is the horsey people.

Louise Ratcliffe has formed a long-term
bond with one very unique animal.

LOUISE RATCLIFFE: This is Holy Toledo,

he's a Arabian Thoroughbred Quarter Horse
cross and he's 17 years of age.

I've had him since he was a baby.

He's definitely my oldest,

well, longest relationship,
especially with a boy.

(LAUGHS)

NARRATOR: It is the strong bond
between horse and owner

that makes our relationships with this
understated animal so unique.

LOUISE: He was a pretty tough
horse to train and to break in.

He's incredibly smart,
he's a real thinking horse.

So I would train him to do something
and then

he would turn that against me

and then I'd be stumped.

So I had to come up with ways
of using his mind

and keeping him busy,
like thinking about things.

So that is why I started doing a lot
of the trick stuff and the liberty stuff

because it suits his personality.

(WHINNYING)

So this is a big thing for him to do,
you know, like to lay him down.

It's taking them to a place
where they're very vulnerable.

"Hey, mate".

And when you first teach it to them,
you know,

they're a bit worried about
you putting them on the ground.

Oh.

But then you lay them down there,
you take them to that place of worry

and then you prove to them,
"Hey, there's nothing to worry about.

"You get smooched when you're down here.

"Hey, mate."

NARRATOR:
Tolly is one very good show horse,

a fine example of why
most of us love horses

and feel an attachment to this
most majestic of animals.

But like so many of our animals,

determining where they sit on
the cute barometer

is rightfully left to those
who are best to judge.

STEVE GILLAM: I love to watch
the two horses interact at night

when they are let out into the paddock.

They can chase each other around
and just basically play.

On the 72 most cutest animals,

I would say these animals would sit

at about 60.

(LAUGHS)

NARRATOR: Running free and loving life,
the horse is one incredible animal,

but it's not going to knock the stubborn
little wombat from number one.

In fact, the wombat is refusing to budge,

but up next is a charming
and very social creature

with such an odd look
that it's likely to mix up the pack.

Rodents, perhaps not
everyone's cup of tea,

but how could you resist the
delightfully shaggy charms of the capybara

which looks like a cross between
a beaver and a guinea pig.

BRETT MCKECHNIE:
So capybaras are endemic to South America.

You'll find them in the savannah, the
thick rainforest, anywhere there's water.

In my hand I've got

the closest relative of the capybara,
just the common guinea pig.

Found all through the world but mostly
in Indonesia, Asia, places like that.

This guy here weighs
in about 300 grams at most.

The capybaras here, up to 66 kilos.

So one of the smaller rodents in the world

compared to one of
the largest rodents in the world.

The main reason you should consider
these guys rodents

is their general teeth structure,

they've got the little pinchers
on the front

and their molars at the back to chew.

So they strip and chew leaves, grass,
anything like that

and then chew it up the back and swallow.

NARRATOR: These gentle giants
of the rodent world are herbivores

and like other rodents,
their teeth grow continuously

to keep up with their voracious appetite.

An individual adult eats about
a kilo to two kilos of food a day.

That's comprised mostly
of apples, pears, cabbage,

broccoli, cauliflower,

any seasonal fruit and veg like that.

They've also been known to eat
leaves of trees, bamboo shoots, reeds,

any of that sort of green sort of stuff.

NARRATOR:
These guys have an interesting quirk

that isn't particularly recommended
by dentists for oral hygiene

but is effective for digestion.

BRETT: Capybaras have also been
known to eat their own poo.

It's great for absorbing bacteria

that they might have
missed the first time round.

NARRATOR:
There's nothing a capybara enjoys more

than spending an afternoon in the water
relaxing with friends.

Where you'll find water
is where you'll also find mud.

So rather than bathing just in
the water bodies

they are very, very prone
to rolling around in the dirt

and just stirring up everything.

They got little rat-like claws,
obviously, being a rodent.

They dig sort of little half burrows
where they can nest in

and get a bit of warmth from
the ground if it becomes cold.

They've got teeth very similar
to a rat as well.

They've got the same diet as a rat.

They are just a rodent,
on a very, very big scale.

-(LAUGHS)
-NARRATOR: Yes, very big indeed.

They can grow up to 60 centimetres
to the shoulder

and are built somewhat like
a barrel on legs.

In the wild you can expect groups to
range from 10 to 20

up to about 100 individuals.

So they need to go on
a bit of a dominance chain.

Usually there's more girls to boys

as the boys are very territorial
and picky with their mates

so they do have
a bit of contest over that.

NARRATOR:
When the capybara takes to the water,

its eyes, ears and nostrils,
being found near the top of its head,

make it perfect for keeping an eye
on things while keeping cool.

They look almost like
a little hippopotamus.

They flick their ears about.
They do barrel rolls.

Put their noses under and just
shovel through and find anything to eat.

Usually they're just having a snooze.

They go out, have a roll around in
the dirt, come in and wash off in the mud

and then leave all their behinds as well.

Ah... (LAUGHS)

NARRATOR:
Playful, endearing, exceedingly quirky,

but totally up there on the cute stakes,

the capybara is going
straight to number one

seeing the wombat stomping into number two
and the horse running to three.

However putting its bulk into contention

is a loveable beast who's discovered
a great alternative to dental floss.

(ROARING)

Imagine going to the dentist
with these teeth.

(ROARS)

KYM ILLMAN:
Well, they've got a flip-top head,

which goes nearly 180 degrees so

you get to see right down its throat

when it opens its mouth.

NARRATOR: It would seem like a nightmare
to keep clean,

but these guys have found quite
the ingenious way.

KYM:
Hippos have very good dental support.

With all those teeth they need to keep
them clean, so they will go underwater

and open their mouth and allow little
fish to come in

and clean all the little bits
off their teeth.

(ROARS)

NARRATOR: It's this sparkling smile
that has captured Dermot's affection.

Aren't they lovely? They're big

and a bit fat and chunky

and they have that big smile

with these two big teeth,
so I think hippos are really cute.

They're up there for me.

Even though their reputation
is a bit ferocious.

NARRATOR:
And what a reputation they have.

DERMOT O'GORMAN:
Well, they're a little bit cranky

and you know there's many stories about

boats being capsized by an angry mother
trying to protect her calf.

But I think also because
that they are herbivores

people think they
might be cute and cuddly.

But these are the third largest mammal,
they way up to 1,500 kilograms,

so they're a very big animal

and I think they deserve
some of their reputation.

A fully-grown one is tonnes

and you never want to
get in the way of that.

In Katavi, where the water evaporates

towards the end of the dry season,

you might get 300 or 400 hippos
in the one pool,

vying for territory
with five or six crocodiles.

And they live so close
and in such confinement

that some of the photos
we've taken just defy belief.

That the croc will cuddle a hippo
in a pool

and they'll be there for days on end
and they just get on, they have to get on.

NARRATOR:
So much of their time is spent around

water that they were named hippopotamus,
meaning water horse.

Hippos are able to

correct their buoyancy,

so not only can they sit
on the top of the surface,

but they can sink and walk along
the bottom of the river.

Hippos will typically have just one calf,

that may weigh up to 50 kilograms

and it will be born under water

and it will come out and reach up
to the surface for its first breath.

They stay very close to their mothers,

both on land and in water

and they'll dive down under the water

to suckle from their mother.

NARRATOR: These oversized babies
are as playful as any,

sizing each other up
for all sorts of games.

As all children play,
a little bit of rough and tumble,

a lot of bumping and splashing
and wrestling in mud

is probably your typical young hippos day.

What's quite lovely about a hippo

is in a clear pool, when you know they're
just under the water,

they'll stick their head up and
they'll look at you with just their eyes

and perhaps their nostrils out and
then they'll wobble their ears.

When you talk about hippos you
don't often talk about the fact

that they spin their ears
and flick water everywhere

but it's a lovely thing to see.

NARRATOR:
It's quite fortuitous

that the hippopotamus
is happily playing in the mud

as it's not going to knock anyone
from the list,

it's bumping in behind
the horse at number four.

However, keen to take on the whole pack

is an animal who claims
to define adorable.

They may look like
giant floating teddy bears,

but don't mistake them for being lazy.

In fact, life is so full of diversions
for the otter

that it's hard to predict
how it will fill its day.

CHRIS BRAY: They're always active,
they're always doing things.

Lazing around or paddling on their back

or eating food or diving
or playing with their young.

NARRATOR: There are
many species of this playful animal,

but for wildlife photographer, Chris Bray,

the sea otter is the most captivating.

CHRIS:
They've got such cute little padded hands

and they're always cleaning their whiskers

and they just look
like they're having fun.

NARRATOR:
Unlike other marine mammals,

the sea otter doesn't have a layer
of blubber to keep it warm.

To keep warm they've got
this really dense fur.

I think it's the densest fur
in the whole of the animal kingdom

and they've got to keep it super clean

otherwise the water will get in there
and they'd get cold.

NARRATOR: When grooming, the sea otter
is always careful not to miss a bit.

CHRIS: They can reach everywhere.

Partly because they're really flexible

but also because they've got such shaggy,
like saggy skin,

they can kind of pull rolls
of skin over here and clean this bit,

which would be kind of handy really.

NARRATOR: Handy indeed.

Speaking of which,

these critters have come up
with a handy plan to stick together.

CHRIS: One of the cute things
that the sea otters do

is, particularly when they're resting,

they all kind of gather together
in these giant rafts of otters.

They can be 10 or a 100,
reports of even 1,000 otters,

all just kind of lazing together.

I've seen video of them sort of
holding hands, as they're drifting around

and so very, very adorable.

They do the same in kelp,
they wrap themselves up in seaweed

to stop them just drifting out
to sea while they're asleep.

NARRATOR:
What could be more delightful to watch

than a fully-grown sea otter
wrapped in seaweed?

According to Chris,
the only possibility would be

its offspring.

Unable to dive under water,

the baby finds "otter"
means of transportation,

floating like a cork
while its mother dives for food.

CHRIS: They'd sort of, yeah put it aside,
go down, get some food.

Meanwhile it's just bobbing around
like a cork up there.

And then mum will come back up
and pick it back up

and put it on its chest and look after it.
It's really, really cute and caring.

NARRATOR: When mum returns with sushi,
the feast begins.

CHRIS: They're just lying there on
their back, floating, they just

munch, munch and drop crumbs and bits of,
like, mussel and clam all over them.

NARRATOR: Never mind, the sea otter
has a refined system for cleaning up.

CHRIS: Every couple of seconds they just

roll over and then they're just, like,

"Ha! Fresh clean table!"
And they eat again

and put more crumbs on and roll over.

It's pretty funny.

NARRATOR:
If holding hands

and precise coat cleaning techniques
wasn't clever enough,

how about the fact that they
also keep a tool belt?

CHRIS: One of the coolest things
about sea otters

is they carry around a rock with them.

They've got a little pouch of skin in
their big floppy skin underneath their arm

and they just carry this rock with them,
which they use as a tool.

It's one of the few mammals that actually
uses tools

and they go down and they use the rock
to pound off abalones from the rock.

And when they bring up things
like sea urchins

they can smash it to pieces with the rock
before they eat it. It's just amazing.

NARRATOR: And if there could be
a cute technique for fishing,

the sea otter has mastered it.

CHRIS: Unlike every other marine mammal,

that they always
catch it with their teeth.

They just catch it with their hands

and they have to hold
all their food to eat

so they look quite, not quite human,

but it kind of has that adorable quality

because they're hanging onto the food
and eating it like that,

like a little squirrel.

NARRATOR:
Despite the otter's aptitude at sea,

its design, well, disappoints on land.

CHRIS: They can come ashore
but they're really awkward on shore

and they don't like to do it,

so they're normally just on the
water there.

They fish there, they sleep there,
they have their babies there.

They just do everything.
They're just so well adapted.

NARRATOR:
Well, how can a floating teddy bear

go anywhere but to the top spot?

The otter is taking this crown

in its own delightfully cruisey way,

causing the rest of the pack
to tumble down a notch.

But entering the spotlight is quite an
enigmatic character

keen to poke its nose into the mix.

Scaly, but warm-blooded,

shy, nocturnal and solitary,
this is a pangolin.

AKA, the scaly anteater.

Not much is known
about these mysterious creatures,

and with so few
still in their natural habitat,

the pangolin's wild side
is quite hard to find.

It's thanks to keepers like Ade

that we can see these incredible mammals
up close at all.

The pangolins are quite special here
in Singapore

because they're one of the last remaining
mammals that can be found in the forest.

We don't have that many
mammals to begin with.

So to have pangolins in Singapore,

it's quite a blessing.

Not much research has been done on them,
as I know about them.

It's just they sleep a lot.

And when they're awake
they usually forage for food.

And they're a solitary animal
so you don't see them

mingling with other pangolins unless
it's during mating season

or when they're crossing into
another pangolin's territory.

NARRATOR: There are a total of
eight species, four of which are in Asia.

Loss of habitat and predation has led
to the Chinese and Sunda pangolin,

like this fella here,
now belonging on the endangered list.

But being reserved and peaceful in nature

are some of the characteristics
that makes them so sweet.

Oh, they sleep a lot at the beginning

with almost 20 hours a day.

For about maybe three hours a day
they are awake looking for food.

But in general they're
quite solitary animals.

So if you like lazy animals,
this is one of them.

They're like the koalas
of the underground world.

NARRATOR: There's so much to love
about the pangolin,

not least of which are
all their fascinating features.

The thick scales are easily their most
valuable asset and are made of keratin,

which is the same material as fingernails.

When threatened, the pangolin rolls
into a tight, almost impenetrable ball,

the shield of scales protecting
its tender belly, eyes, ears and snout.

Their tail is used for balance,
and super useful for hanging onto trees.

And when it comes to eating, they've got
a fairly specialised technique.

They don't have teeth to begin with,
so they eat using their tongue.

They just kind of like, stick their tongue
out then and slurp ants and termites.

And the tongue has this sticky saliva

and it helps in acquiring
the ants and termites.

They're pretty picky
when it comes to food,

so it's mostly the food preparation
that needs to be tip-top.

NARRATOR:
When fully extended

a pangolin's tongue
can be up to 16 inches,

longer than their entire body.

Of course being at the zoo,
Ade makes sure they want for nothing.

We do take them out for walks,

being animals, they like to dig,

they like to sniff around

and of course they like to climb as well.

They don't actually make any sounds,
unless you count

the sniffing that they make, the...

(MIMICS SNIFFING)

You know, aside from that,
they don't actually make any sounds.

NARRATOR:
With an excellent sense of smell,

these creative critters use long claws
on their front paws

to burrow deep into the ground
to find food and shelter.

It also means having to walk
on their hind legs

because claws make it unsuitable to walk.

When it comes to their young,

baby pangolins will cling to their mums,

riding on the base of her tail,
safely out of the way.

While there is still much to learn
about the mysterious pangolin,

there's one thing for certain,
they are incredibly charming.

Pangolins would definitely be in the top
10 of the cutest animals in the world.

NARRATOR:
The pangolin is quite a surprise package.

Scaly, enchanting
and being able to roll into a ball

totally adds to the cute factor,

however while the pangolin
is tightly curled up,

now is a good time to mention

that it's not entering the list
higher than anyone else.

It's going to snooze at number six,

leaving the wonderfully amazing otter
at number one.

Squishing so much cuteness into
the top 10 is a mega challenge.

With their big eyes, playful antics,

crazy habits and curly tails,
the current list ticks all the boxes.

But there's a lot of muttering about
who's going out and who's coming in.

The "I-think-I'm-a-human"
Orangutan is staying put at number one,

but it's time for the sloth to wake up

and pack its bags for number three
as the cuddly otter floats into two.

This leaves the arctic fox
out in the cold,

but the fox isn't too bothered,
as its white winter coat will keep it warm

while it surveys the state of play
antics from the snowfields.

The sleepy koala,
who has no interest in snow,

has sighted a few fresh leaves
at the house next door,

so it's keen to slide down to number four,

while the ring tailed lemur
will happily move to number five

as long as it's still
getting a lot of attention.

The foraging Malayan tapir,

bathing snow monkey
and mischievous marmoset

take up residence at six, seven and eight,

leaving the penguin pair looking
a little nervous in the last two spots,

luckily they're already dressed
for a night on the town.

The king penguin is out to a ball

and the rock-hopper
has a gig in a punk band.

While the penguins are away,
the capybara is here to play.

It's stealing the ninth spot.

While the super-fast brick,

also known as the wombat,

is making a dash for number 10.

More than 50 animals have now been
featured in our 72 Cutest list

and all could state their case
for inclusion in the top 10,

but when it comes to ranking,
cute is competitive.

And even more so when an incredibly
loveable bunch of animals

is waiting in the wings ready
to put their best furry foot forward.

Who will be number one?

This week's clue is all about the eyes.

Everyone's idea of cute is different

and we're going to find it hard to rank

the quirky, fluffy and adorable
in our list of 72 Cutest Animals.

But no matter what spot they take,

they'll all win
a special place in your heart.