In PIX: They are cute, but endangered too

A slideshow on some of the cutest animals from around the world.

Sand kittens

Renana, a 3-week-old sand kitten, at her enclosure near Tel Aviv.

The sand cat lives in arid areas that are too hot and dry even for the African Wildcat: the Sahara, the Arabian Desert, and the deserts of Iran and Pakistan.

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Fennec Fox

Baby fennec foxes sleep inside their compound at Sunshine International Aquarium in Tokyo.

The Fennec fox is a small nocturnal fox found in the Sahara of North Africa. Its most distinctive feature is its unusually large ears, which serve to dissipate heat. 

Egyptian Tortoise

A worker from Rome's Biopark zoo holds Testudo Kleinmanni hatchlings, an endangered species also known as Egyptian tortoises, in Rome. 

Sea otter

A sea otter at Antwerp's zoo.

The sea otter is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean.

Mexican Axolotl

A rare albino axolotl, a type of salamander that uniquely spends its whole life in its larval form, crawls inside an aquarium at Aquaria KLCC in Kuala Lumpur.

The species originates from numerous lakes, such as Lake Xochimilcounderlying Mexico City. Axolotls are used extensively in scientific research due to their ability to regenerate limbs.

Slow Loris

Iranian animal trainer Amir Rahbari plays with his Malaysian albino slow loris called Farzin at a grass area in a housing complex in northern Tehran.

Slow lorises have a toxic bite, a rare trait among mammals. The toxin is produced by licking a gland on their arm, and the secretion mixes with its saliva to activate it. Their toxic bite is a deterrent to predators, and the toxin is also applied to the fur during grooming as a form of protection for their infants. 

Pika 

The pika is a small mammal, with short limbs, rounded ears, and no external tail.

It is also known as the "whistling hare" due to its high-pitched alarm call when diving into its burrow. The name "pika" appears to be derived from the Tungus piika.

Mandarin Duck

Four Chinese mandarin ducks part of an exhibit at the 2005 New England Spring Flower Show in Boston, Massachusetts.

The species was once widespread in eastern Asia, but large-scale exports and the destruction of its forest habitat have reduced populations in eastern Russia and in China to below 1,000 pairs in each country; Japan, however, is thought to still hold some 5,000 pairs.

Beluga Whales

Yang Yang, 3, kisses a Beluga Whale during a publicity photocall at the Qingdao Polar Ocean World, in eastern China's Shandong province.

Beluga is considered 'near threatened' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature; however the subpopulation from the Cook Inlet in Alaska is considered critically endangered and is under the protection of the United States' Endangered Species Act. Of seven Canadian beluga populations, two are listed as endangered, inhabiting eastern Hudson Bay, and Ungava Bay.

Gray Gentle Lemur

The bamboo or gentle lemurs are the lemurs in genus Hapalemur. They are medium sized primates that live exclusively on Madagascar.

The Greater Bamboo Lemur was considered part of this genus, but is now classified as belonging to the genus Prolemur.

Black Footed Ferrets

Bert, a male black-footed ferret peers out from a burrow in a cage at the US Fish and Wildlife Service National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center in Wellington, Colorado.

It is listed as endangered by the IUCN, because of its very small and restricted populations. First discovered by Audubon and Bachman in 1851, the species declined throughout the 20th century, primarily as a result of decreases in prairie dog populations and sylvatic plague. 

Matschie's Tree Kangaroo

The tree kangaroos are classified under the class of mammals with milk glands and subclass of changing mammals Metatheria. They are in the family of Macropodidae in the order of Pouched Mammals i.e. Marsupialia. The tree kangaroos include about 54 species of kangaroos of the genus of Dendrolagus.

The tree kangaroos live in Huon Peninsula of the northeastern New Guinea.

Hawaiian Monk Seals

The Hawaiian monk seal is an endangered species that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.

The Hawaiian monk seal is one of two remaining monk seal species; the other is the Mediterranean monk seal. A third species, the Caribbean monk seal, is extinct.

The Hawaiian monk seal is the only seal native to Hawaii.

Iberian Lynx Cubs

A trio of Iberian lynx cubs born in captivity, Brecina (L), Brezo (C), and Brisa, venture out to explore their surroundings in Donana national park, Spain 

Giant Panda

Yuan Zi, a male giant panda, inside his enclosure at the ZooParc de Beauval in Saint-Aignan, Central France.

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