From LiveScience, via Animal Planet and Popbitch, comes a list – two years old, but I’ve never seen it before – of the 500 cutest animals in the world. Five hundred! I am not fully on board with all of their choices (the frilled neck lizard? Really?), but I can’t find it in myself to disagree with the winner, despite having never heard of it before today. I give you the North Pacific sea otter:
If you’re not convinced, here’s the killer – they sleep holding hands, so they don’t float apart:
Amazing.
Update: After I posted this on Facebook, my friend Rachel pointed me towards this video, which I guarantee will make you smile, even if you have seen it before, which I hadn’t:
Glad All Over 
beyond cute. I always thought baby seals were IT but this comes very close. Just what you need on a cold January day riddled with nasty news items. Warm soppy smile.