Gallery: Cutest Book Ever: ZooBorns Internet Craze Moves to Print
01zooborns-ocelot1
__Warning:__ *The images in this gallery are dangerously, addictively cute. Once you have seen them, you'll want to see more, and more. And more. And you may never finish what you were working on before you saw them. But it's probably too late for you, anyway, because you've already seen the baby ocelot, so never mind.* If you weren't already aware of this thing called ZooBorns, then I'm sorry for doing this to you. Also, you're welcome, because it's the cutest thing ever on the internet. And now you can't escape it, even when you are away from the internet, because the evil geniuses behind the [ZooBorns website](http://www.zooborns.com/) have just published two books of strangely, wonderfully, painfully cute baby zoo animals that you can take with you everywhere (I've already proven this with my review copies). While you are waiting for yours to arrive, you can try to get by on the baby aardvark, gorilla, red pandas and more in this gallery, visit ZooBorns.com, and hear what the authors, Andrew Bleiman and Chris Eastland had to say for themselves in the interview with Wired.com on the following pages. __Wired.com:__ Do you have a favorite ZooBorn? __Eastland:__ I'm your run-of-the-mill, crazy cat lady, just 30 years old and male. If I have to choose, it would probably be the Connecticut Beardsley Zoo's ocelot kitten, aka the Miracle Kitten (above). It got its name since it was only the third ocelot ever born via *in vitro* fertilization. Above: Ocelot Kitten -------------------- Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo *Image: Shannon Calvert* [](http://www.amazon.com/ZooBorns-Andrew-Bleiman/dp/1439195315/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1288582487&sr=8-2)
02zooborns-elephant
Elephant Calf ------------- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/wiredscience/?attachment_id=40795)__Wired.com:__ Where did the idea for ZooBorns come from? __Bleiman:__ In 2005, I started a bizarre zoology news and humor site with my brother Ben called [Zooillogix](http://scienceblogs.com/zooillogix/), which was picked up by ScienceBlogs, a division of Seed Media, shortly thereafter. Pretty soon biologists around the world were sending along press releases, including a number of zoo researchers. Once I was on the zoo PR lists, the baby-animal announcements started piling up, but a snarky bizarre zoology blog wasn't really the right place for them. However, I realized there should be a right place to share these pictures and associated conservation information, and voila, ZooBorns was, ahem, born! I founded the site with my childhood friend, artist, designer and photographer Chris Eastland, who I knew could bring a high level of creative professionalism to the site. *Images: G. Jones/Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.*
03zooborns-small-clawed-otters
Asian Small-Clawed Otter Pups ----------------------------- Sea World Orlando __Wired.com:__ What’s the most popular ZooBorn of all time? __Bleiman:__ While the [Fennec fox](http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2010/08/los-angeles-zoos-got-your-fennec-fox-fix.html) remains the all-time record holder, [Asian small-clawed otters](http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2009/03/asian-otters-galore.html) come an extremely close second. *Image: Jason Collier/SeaWorld Orlando*
04zooborns-aardvark1
Aardvark Pup ------------ Detroit Zoo __Wired.com:__ Do you have a favorite ZooBorn? __Bleiman:__ Amani the baby aardvark from the Detroit Zoo. Such a ridiculous looking critter. I could describe it but a picture is the only way to do it justice. *Image: Detroit Zoo/Mark Gaskill*
05zooborns-red-pandas
Red Panda Cubs -------------- Edmonton Valley Zoo __Wired.com:__ Are you aware that ZooBorns is a dangerous pit of procrastination for some people? __Bleiman:__ Cigarettes, strangers with candy and ZooBorns. All things better avoided. In all seriousness though, ZooBorns is a pretty productive way to procrastinate. It's like sneaking away at work to sit in on the most adorable zoology class ever taught. *Image: Jesse Popowicz/City of Edmonton*
Jason Collier06zooborns-anteater
Lesser Anteater Pup ------------------- SeaWorld Discovery Cove __Wired.com:__ When did ZooBorns really take off? Was there a specific moment or a particular animal that caught people’s attention? __Eastland:__ We grew pretty quickly immediately after unveiling the site in October of 2008. However, the first bombshell was the [Fennec fox kit](http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2009/02/whats-cuter-than-a-fennec-fox.html) in January of 2009 -- huge oversized ears and whiskers on a tiny head. That little guy was a home run, and we feature him on the cover of the all-ages book. *Image: Jason Collier/Discovery Cove*
F-G Grandin07zooborns-leopard
Clouded Leopard Cub ------------------- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle __Wired.com:__ What’s the strangest animal you’ve featured? __Eastland:__ Snake-like amphibians named [caecilians](http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/caecilian) are about as strange as it comes. With big feathery gills at birth, here’s a critter few people have ever heard of, let alone seen as a newborn. *Image: Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle*
08zooborns-gorilla
Baby Gorilla ------------ San Francisco Zoo __Wired.com:__ Did you know that a visit to ZooBorns.com can cure even the worst case of work stress for some people (and by some people, I mean me)? __Eastland:__ We hear that from a lot of our readers, and we are happy to help. But it can go too far. Working on ZooBorns all day means Andrew and I are so relaxed we are more or less puddles of jelly in real life. *Image: George Nikitin/San Francisco Zoo*
Jason Collier09zooborns-turtles
Loggerhead Turtle Hatchlings ---------------------------- SeaWorld Orlando __Wired.com:__ What's the goal of ZooBorns? __Eastland:__ We aim to educate while we entertain. We lure folks in with adorable baby-animal pictures, then try to teach them a bit about the conservation challenges faced by those species and what accredited zoos and aquariums are doing to help. We hope this inspires people to get involved in conservation themselves. *Image: Jason Collier/SeaWorld Orlando*
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Red Kangaroo Joey ----------------- Assiniboine Park Zoo __Wired.com:__ Are the books intended for people who don't spend all day on the internet? Or are they for people who may need ZooBorns at any moment, even when they are not at a computer? __Eastland:__ These are the cutest animal books ever created. They are the best of what we have featured on the site, plus additions never seen online. The [all-ages book](http://www.amazon.com/ZooBorns-Andrew-Bleiman/dp/1439195315/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1288582487&sr=8-2) is a perfect gift (i.e. fits in a stocking and is only about $9) and no coffee table, den bookshelf or bathroom library collection is complete without one. __Bleiman:__ The [book for young-children](http://www.amazon.com/ZooBorns-Zoo-Babies-Around-World/dp/1442412720/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b) is also about $9 and belongs in every home with a child. Honestly, if you have a child between the ages of two and seven and do not own a copy of *ZooBorns!*, social services may come knocking. *Darlene Stack/Assiniboine Park Zoo*
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Sea Otter Pup ------------- Monterey Bay Aquarium __Wired.com:__ Are there any zoo animals we haven't seen yet on ZooBorns that you are really hoping to feature some day? __Bleiman:__ What's a guy got to do to get a picture of a baby platypus?! I mean honestly. It's gotta be a conspiracy or something. Australia -- get on this. *Image: (c) Monterey Bay Aquarium/Randy Wilder*
