Animal Photos Of The Week

It's a tough choice for cutest contender in our roundup of this week's best animal photos.

A baby panda, twin polar bear cubs, and young orphaned lions are all here to leave in you awe. And if you've ever wondered what baby hyenas look like, this week's set is just for you!

Vote for your favorite, and let us know what you think of the photos in the comments.

Comments

[eyelashviper]

11:34 AM on 03/29/2011

This weekly photo montage of animals has become one of my favorites on HP...always brings a smile and reminds me that we are stewards of this planet and must insure that all species must be protected.
Who woulda thought that hyenas could be so adorable?????

[drularter]

07:34 AM on 03/28/2011

I love pandas!!! They are so adorable. They are the main reason that I donate to the WWF.

[JavaManiac]

07:16 AM on 03/28/2011

The picture of sunset in Sicily showing the lone seagull. That is a common site - just one bird. We have few sea birds here compared to most place - most likely because of over-fishing of the Mediterranean.

[Fi]

02:28 AM on 03/28/2011

Big, big thank you to all those that look after animals in whatever circumstances.

[robin360]

01:36 AM on 03/28/2011

Thanks, I needed that :)

[helenwheels]

01:27 AM on 03/28/2011

The man that saved the dolphin from the rice paddy is my new hero.

[helenwheels]

01:26 AM on 03/28/2011

Breaks my heart that woman having to part with her Shiba Inu, even for awhile. Shibas are one-owner dogs. It's so hard for them to stay with other people.

The lion cub rescue gives me hope. Same with hyenas.

[dna user]

10:03 PM on 03/27/2011

Hyena heaven.

[springsm]

09:49 PM on 03/27/2011

Oh wow, I have been twice to the Chengdu Panda Reserve...and those little guys are the cutest little fuzz balls.  Outside they are like 8 month old kids exploring  They are cute with their handlers and the handlers treat them as children but still as wild animals.  The three year olds are fun to watch as they sit and eat bamboo.  I couldn't get enough of this.  I think we forget that they are not household pets though.  The babies act like babies though, they obey.  The big earthquake a few years ago did not kill any of them, but I think there was damage at that reserve.  Which is a very nice parklike setting.

[brooklyncitizen]

09:34 PM on 03/27/2011

That giant baby panda looks like he could really cause an injury.....and the hyenas are adorable.

[Happy Clb]

08:48 PM on 03/27/2011

like the baby bats, i never thought a hyena could be cute till i saw baby ones on huffington post.

[inARCTICulate]

07:56 PM on 03/27/2011

WOuldn't it be great to give a baby hyena to a frenemy and tell them it's a chihuahua.

[RBLRDR]

08:32 PM on 03/27/2011

Ha! I have the perfect frenemy in mind.

[kareemachan]

07:46 PM on 03/27/2011

I was privileged to be able to watch close up beluga whales on their trek to the Canadian Arctic out of Barrow, AK. They have that joyous dolphin personality and make an incredible number of different calls and sounds. My favorite memory is watching one young one (still dark grey) swim past, looking sideways at me as it did so. Then it circled around, came back, and stuck its head out of the water, calling to me, and then breached. ;-)

[joyf1]

08:00 PM on 03/27/2011

Wow, what a wonderful experience for you. Where I live we have orca whales swimming close to shore. They have personalities, too.

[janie@atthelake]

07:42 PM on 03/27/2011

Polar bears...wow! Most of these animals (at least to me) seem endangered by humans. But..the smile on my face today is for Ryo Taira and the dolphin.

[inARCTICulate]

07:56 PM on 03/27/2011

Looks like Don Rickles

[janie@atthelake]

08:17 PM on 03/27/2011

:-( Taira can't help what he looks like.....its what he did.

[onwisconsin]

11:00 PM on 03/27/2011

My favorite too but I also have a soft spot in my heart for those lion cubs that were rescued.

[janie@atthelake]

09:41 AM on 03/28/2011

me too.