Unexpectedly cute observations - what are yours?

Wonderful! You might considered adding that observation to this project:
Arthropod Faces

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I found this lone sleeping Mallard pretty cute. She was in small stream away from the drakes.

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Maybe one upside to jumping spiders being cute is more scientific interest?

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“Yes, but… You’re in my spot!”
I had forgotten I took this photo of 3 immature Green Herons. I named the one near the bottom Sheldon. Sorry, I couldn’t resist. These 3 siblings hung together most of the summer and often returned in the evening to roost. The nest was in the bushes behind them. There were 2 smaller siblings as well but those two left and only sporadically returned.

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I spend a LOT of time photographing insects, particularly moths and have found that the little critters often interact with the attention given them by the camera. I find many of the moths I photograph are “cute” - meaning attractive in an endearing way - that when the little moth turns its little head to gaze at the camera, that is quite endearing.

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Do you suppose they may be seeing their reflection?

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That/those are Cynips douglasii and are reportedly inedible.

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They are definitely aware of the movement and respond to it, not sure about the ability to see a reflection. Often, seemingly in response to both/either movement and/or flash, the moth will fly.

The more correct way is to think “what do they see” and assume it is a view foreign to our own experience. I am not an expert, but I am pretty sure they are not seeing a reflection as we would. They see in different wavelengths and with different focal points than we do.
The fun thought process is WHAT are they seeing? How do they interpret this view?

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Probably enjoying the non-testosterone zone for a few minutes. :)

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Especially since we have no evidence that they have a language, in the sense of having “words” for objects, actions, or feelings.

Turns out I have one like that, too:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/123480680


I am really reaching here, though; I guess my idea of “cute” is conventional, as in fuzzy with big eyes, like a kitten. I’m looking through my pages of observations, and I’m not seeing much that particularly jumps out as “cute.” Still, there is this:
One Zebra Dove perched in the midst of a flock of Chestnut-breasted Munias.

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I reallyreally think cute is a reaction you cannot control, which is why some people think all newborn babies are adorable and other people think they all look like grouchy old men without necks and neither is wrong. This is to say what is cute to you may not be cute to someone else and vice versa.

I’m looking through my pages of observations, and I’m not seeing much that particularly jumps out as “cute.”

So I went through just the first pages of your observations and here are some that jumped out as cute to me but may not be at all cute to you (Also, goodness, you have observations from all over, how wonderful!):

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/102009770 (remind me of kids who meet the first day of kindy and announce they are best friends instantly)

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/101827072 (Seuss - ish)

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/101745219 (the way they are arranged reminds me how my boys used to play with dinosaurs or those little green army men but also this observation is just incredibly cool, wow)

I wouldn’t say purple slimy babies are adorable, but it’s in our brains to find babies cute, we need to care about them or they’re doomed, so everything should work on bringing attention to them, that’s why similar facial proportions on other animals are working the same way on us, bigger the eyes, better it is.

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Four tawney frogmouths saying “I’m not really here, I’m just a stick”

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medium
This weevil, from the genus Lixus (honestly, most if not all weevils look cute)


Fern gametophytes are cute!

Unidentified noctuid moth

Bee from the genus Systropha - there are lots of them in Astana, drinking nectar from bindweed flowers.

Horsetails (Equisetum) are one of my favorite plant genera :) Equisetum pratense looks, in my opinion, like a child’s pencil drawing of a christmas tree.

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What you quoted is so chopped that it isn’t even remotely close to what I said, hahaha!

What I said was:

some people think all newborn babies are adorable and other people think they all look like grouchy old men without necks and neither is wrong.

And a puerperal woman’s hormones are wild and powerful things that could warrant their own discussion (not here in this thread) but the fact remains that apart from that woman, SOME people will automatically think her newborn is cute and OTHERS will see a grouchy old man, and that is okay! Her newborn baby is in no way imperiled. :)

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I don’t see any disagreement between your comment and mine? How’s that not close to what you said if I just chose those words for short quote, it doesn’t mean I read only them.

(It is quoting out of context. It changes the meaning.)

That said, I think the missing bridge is between this

and

I think I was trying to make the point that not all people are wired the same and that different wiring is okay, and I did not see room in what you said for different wiring. I apologize if I misunderstood you and it was implied (extremely subtly though, hahaha). :)

I deleted the quote part. I don’t think people seeing old man in a newborn are for sure saying that it’s not cute, it can be both, ugly can be seen appealing, people really hating babies (and who are themselves adults) are extremely rare. Just please don’t laugh at other people when they just answer you.

It is okay if not everyone thinks babies are cute. That does not mean they hate the babies.

I was 100% not laughing at you. I was laughing at how shockingly different my words read taken out of context. It was bizarre feeling!