This week saw a number of cute animals make the news. A kangaroo and lemur were spotted playing tag together, and we learned about the spotted lamb that was adopted by a Dalmatian. In Chile, a dog was photographed carrying puppies to safety from a fire.

Officials in Massachusetts confirmed this week that the shark that attacked a swimmer on Cape Cod was, in fact, a great white, reported AP. Denver resident Christopher Myers was attacked off a beach in Truro on July 30, but has since been released from the hospital.

Officials around the country are reporting that this summer's heat wave has been contributing to a greater number of bear encounters with humans. According to AP, "Weather-related bear problems are nothing new, as natural food supplies vary from year to year depending on rainfall and other factors. But this summer has been a particularly busy one."

Explanations behind several interesting animal traits were also revealed this week. We learned that sperm whales sleep while "drifting" vertically, and Science explained how geckos' sticky feet work.

Below, find some of our favorite animal photos taken this week:

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  • A turtle rides on an alligator's back at the Summit Garden Zoo in Panama City, Friday, Aug. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco)

  • Four day old female black rhinoceros calf Akili stands next to its mother Ine in the enclosure at the Zoo in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Aug. 10, 2012. The young calf weighs 30 kilograms (65 pounds) while the mother weighs 1,100 kilograms (2,425 pounds). (AP Photo/Gero Breloer)

  • A male Barasingha walks alongside his mother at the swamp deer enclosure at the zoo in Berlin on August 7, 2012. The pup was born on June 24, 2012. The Barasingha is a deer species that is threatened to be extinct. AFP PHOTO/CHRISTOF STACHE

  • A Orangutan sits in the enclosure at the zoo in Wuppertal, western Germany, on August 9, 2012. Orangutans are currently found in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra. AFP PHOTO / PATRIK STOLLARZ

  • Four day old female black rhinoceros calf Akili stands underneath its mother Ine in the enclosure at the Zoo in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Aug. 10, 2012. The young calf weighs 30 kilograms (65 pounds) while the mother weighs 1,100 kilograms (2,425 pounds). (AP Photo/Gero Breloer)

  • A lion yawns at it lays in its enclosure on August 9, 2012 at the zoo in Wuppertal, western Germany. AFP PHOTO / PATRIK STOLLARZ

  • A male Barasingha deer calf, right, lies next to his mother in its enclosure at Berlin Zoo in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Gero Breloer)

  • CHATHAM, MA - AUGUST 11: A seal swims in the water near a Cape Cod pier on August 11, 2012 in Chatham, Massachusetts. A man was confirmed to have been bitten by a great white shark less than two weeks ago along the shoreline at Cape Cod. An increase in the seal population on Cape Cod has led to increased shark sightings near the shore, including great whites. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

  • RAMAT GAN, ISRAEL - AUGUST 07: A 7-day-old unnamed Siamang Gibbon weighing 170 grams is carried by his mother Jamby at the safari park and zoo on August 7, 2012 in Ramat Gan, Israel. The Siamang Gibbon is found mainly on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and the Malaysian peninsula. (Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)

  • KIAWAH ISLAND, SC - AUGUST 10: Birds fly over the ocean during Round Two of the 94th PGA Championship at the Ocean Course on August 10, 2012 in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

  • RAMAT GAN, ISRAEL - AUGUST 07: A 7-day-old unnamed Siamang Gibbon weighing 170 grams is nursed by his mother Jamby at the safari park and zoo on August 7, 2012 in Ramat Gan, Israel. The Siamang Gibbon is found mainly on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and the Malaysian peninsula. (Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)

  • A five-day-old female Rhinoceros baby named Akili runs past her mother Ine in their enclosure at the zoo in Berlin on August 10, 2012. The young animal born on August 6 at the zoo belongs to the Black Rhinoceros species, which is native to the eastern and central areas of Africa and classified as critically endangered. AFP PHOTO / DAVID GANNON

  • A tiger refreshes in the water on August 9, 2012 at the zoo in Wuppertal, western Germany. AFP PHOTO / PATRIK STOLLARZ

  • A Lion is yawning in its enclosure at the zoo in Wuppertal, western Germany on August 9, 2012 . AFP PHOTO / PATRIK STOLLARZ

  • A child points at a gentoo-penguin who dives in the water at the zoo in Wuppertal, western Germany on August 9, 2012 . AFP PHOTO / PATRIK STOLLARZ

  • CHATHAM, MA - AUGUST 12: A seal waits for fish scraps near a fishing pier on Cape Cod on August 12, 2012 in Chatham, Massachusetts. A man was confirmed to have been bitten by a great white shark less than two weeks ago in the ocean near the shoreline of Truro in Cape Cod. An increase in the seal population on Cape Cod has led to increased shark sightings including great whites in the waters off Chatham. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

  • CHATHAM, MA - AUGUST 12: A seal swims near a fishing pier on Cape Cod on August 12, 2012 in Chatham, Massachusetts. A man was confirmed to have been bitten by a great white shark less than two weeks ago in the ocean near the shoreline of Truro in Cape Cod. An increase in the seal population on Cape Cod has led to increased shark sightings including great whites in the waters off Chatham. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

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