Comments on: tickling animal roundup of cuteness

tickling animal roundup of cuteness

flex — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:24:36 -0800

Attention Internet: This is a penguin being tickled.

Is that not enough? Do you need more videos of cute animals being tickled? *tickling a slow loris *tickling a koala *rats laugh when you tickle them (NYT blog link here)

By: mrgroweler

mrgroweler — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:29:12 -0800

Bad day Improved... 100%

By: Ardiril

Ardiril — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:31:11 -0800

Sampled!

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:34:06 -0800

Was just about to post this! So wonderful. Love this.

By: flex

flex — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:36:41 -0800

Oooh, my husband just sent me this one to add: tickling a camel!

By: spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints

spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:39:52 -0800

tickling a dude

By: Jezebella

Jezebella — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:41:11 -0800

Yay! Happy animals!!!

By: marsha56

marsha56 — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:42:22 -0800

The penguin link didn't play very well for me. But, I found the same video on YouTube for anyone else who is having the same problem.

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:44:06 -0800

This is a whelk gigging uncontrollably.

By: rog

rog — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:45:07 -0800

baby otter. nuff said.

By: so_gracefully

so_gracefully — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:45:13 -0800

Thank you, marsha56!

By: cjorgensen

cjorgensen — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:50:09 -0800

So where do I get a penguin?

By: spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints

spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:51:31 -0800

I can get you a penguin, dude. Toenail polish and everything. There are people.

By: meese

meese — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:54:00 -0800

Attention Internet: I love you.

By: elizardbits

elizardbits — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:55:07 -0800

I am going to have to do extensive viewing research to see if this will be able to replace "fat bulldog puppy what can't roll over" as the most goddamn fucking adorable video ever.

By: grapesaresour

grapesaresour — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:55:53 -0800

Just when I thought I couldn't love penguins more! Someone goes and tickles one.

By: PapaLobo

PapaLobo — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:00:47 -0800

I can put this on endless loop and all my cats would starve to death.

By: Marisa Stole the Precious Thing

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:01:04 -0800

HNNNNGGGGGGGGGH!

By: sharkfu

sharkfu — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:03:06 -0800

This is the full video, with more waddling and tail twitching goodness.

By: East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:05:51 -0800

This is internet gold! Does anyone else think that tumblr's flash video player is a war crime, especially when there are so many competent flash video players out there?

By: Marisa Stole the Precious Thing

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:06:43 -0800

Loaded a helluva lot faster than YouTube normally does for me, but the window is a bit on the tiny side.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:08:42 -0800

I'd be interested to see where the original came from and why these people were tickling their penguin instead of seeing it reposted on some idiot tumblr blog, but it's still fun.

By: GenjiandProust

GenjiandProust — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:10:48 -0800

Why wouldn't you tickle a penguin, if it gets that kind of response?

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:11:58 -0800

Ah, I missed sharkfu's link.

By: angiep

angiep — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:12:32 -0800

Back when the earth was still cooling and I was a psych undergrad, I did experiments with rats in mazes and Skinner boxes. To get the rats to work for treats (Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk) they were kept a bit hungry and were therefore skittish when they were first picked up. Part of the experimental procedure was to calm them down. The best way was to pick up a rat under his "arms" (and they were all male rats), and blow gently in his face. The rats loved this. They'd get erections. And of course, among us students, the procedure was called "giving your rat a blow job".

By: Scattercat

Scattercat — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:28:06 -0800

List of things I did not previously know and did not really want to know about rats: Complete.

By: saturday_morning

saturday_morning — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:30:19 -0800

From the longer version: Cookie the tiny penguin has a condition called "bumblefoot" for which they give him fresh socks every day. If you tell me you know of something cuter I will not believe you sir.

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:32:48 -0800

angiep, that is the most bizarre thing I've ever heard about rats! Huh, the things one learns on the blue are ever astounding. Ok, adding to the tickling wonderfulness: tickle kitty, dog tickling baby, tickling the lion, and Tickle fetish, Japanese TV show (almost nsfw)

By: Guy_Inamonkeysuit

Guy_Inamonkeysuit — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:40:19 -0800

I like penguins. They meet my needs.

By: rtha

rtha — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:40:23 -0800

Greatest thing ever. I will reconsider my desire to kill all of humanity.

By: bonobothegreat

bonobothegreat — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:41:32 -0800

That''s sort of like this owl.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:42:52 -0800

Holy CRAP do I want a penguin.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:44:15 -0800

And also an owl.

By: East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:44:23 -0800

cookie got bumblefoot yo

By: dirigibleman

dirigibleman — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:50:58 -0800

He sounds like Zoidberg!

By: East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:52:15 -0800

lil fawn

By: thinkpiece

thinkpiece — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:54:05 -0800

Oooh, I don't know about dog-tickling-baby. Dog/baby experience here, and that's a little too aggressive for my liking -- that dog is bossing that itty bitty baby around, not a good precedent...

By: East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:58:36 -0800

Marketplace from American Public Media doesn't like the loris video

By: Mooski

Mooski — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 16:11:03 -0800

When I can make something that happy every day, I think I will have accomplished everything I'm here for. Thanks for posting.

By: triceryclops

triceryclops — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 16:14:27 -0800

Marketplace from American Public Media doesn't like the loris video. And now I don't either. God that's awful. I knew the video looked cute, but since I was unfamiliar with the animal, I had to wonder what it was actually going through. The first tipoff is that it's obviously nocturnal and sitting under strobing flourescent lights. The rest is just horrific.

By: hippybear

hippybear — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 16:18:39 -0800

This is the best lorus video ever.

By: anastasiav

anastasiav — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 16:58:28 -0800

I can't watch the Loris videos any longer. I also recently learned that "dealers" (I'm using that word loosely) who sell Loris' as pets pretty routinely yank out all their teeth to make them "safer" to have as pets (which you really shouldn't). Boycott Loris videos and ask YouTube to remove them.

By: nev

nev — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 17:05:39 -0800

Poor lorises. Is it okay to still like the sloth video?

By: briank

briank — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 17:17:47 -0800

Take THAT, flying rainbow pop-tart kitty!

By: kanata

kanata — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 17:42:45 -0800

Man, I just got up from some a decent crying sensation on the bed all prepared for some internet to further bring me down about elections, Libya and whatever general snarkiness people have towards each other and then tickling penguins. Girl can't even enjoy a good old sob session anymore! Thanks for the cuteness! Too good :)

By: bquarters

bquarters — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 18:12:21 -0800

I worked with rats in a lab too! But my job was just to pat them to calm them down- no wonder they defecated all over me- they probably knew they could have been getting 'blow jobs' instead!

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 18:29:11 -0800

Ok, one more really adorable vid of a parakeet tickling a sleepy kitteh.

By: nevercalm

nevercalm — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 18:33:46 -0800

OK, parakeet tickling a sleepy kitteh is my new favorite reason the internet was invented. I raise ducks, and I dream of my ducks and my cats interacting in this way.

By: liza

liza — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 18:41:41 -0800

this penguin, i can't even, just #WAAAAAAAAAAAAAANT but omg! the parakeet and the kitteh are just too presh.

By: [insert clever name here]

[insert clever name here] — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 18:45:58 -0800

I'd be interested to see where the original came from and why these people were tickling their penguin instead of seeing it reposted on some idiot tumblr blog, but it's still fun. I am going to guess what we're actually seeing is a feeding response. Not that it isn't cute as all hell anyway.

By: brundlefly

brundlefly — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 18:54:41 -0800

Look out! Goat stampede!

By: elizardbits

elizardbits — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 19:00:27 -0800

Incidentally, "puppy stampede" is one of the best possible youtube searches ever, soundly trouncing my old standby of "baby eats lemon".

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 20:20:13 -0800

Marketplace from American Public Media doesn't like the loris video They're not alone (and a couple of years late, but more attention is always good). FWIW, nosila posted about the horror of the pet loris business when the tickle video was posted here in 2009.

By: scalefree

scalefree — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 20:48:39 -0800

The loris video is one of those cases where we anthropomorphize an animal's behavior & fool ourselves into believing it's enjoying itself when it really isn't & quite often is actually in distress. Just because it looks cute to us doesn't mean it's having fun. It's sad but necessary that we stop & find out what the truth behind the image really is.

By: Blasdelb

Blasdelb — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 21:09:08 -0800

The pigmy loris video is a lot of things, cute is not one of them.

By: effugas

effugas — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 21:56:10 -0800

scale-- Do you have data to support the anthro claim? For example, do we see stress hormones in the blood? Similar responses to unambiguous painful threats? Something?

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 22:16:50 -0800

Ok, one more really adorable vid of a parakeet tickling a sleepy kitteh. Finally, cats get a taste of their own medicine.

By: palmcorder_yajna

palmcorder_yajna — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 00:52:08 -0800

Hell yes, it's still okay to like the sloth video! That thing's from Aviaros del Caribe, which is a well-respected and noble-hearted rehabilitation facility for sloths. Obviously, something very bad had to happen in order for any given baby sloth to wind up there, but now that said bad thing -has- happened, they're in the best possible place.

By: scalefree

scalefree — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 07:27:08 -0800

Do you have data to support the anthro claim? For example, do we see stress hormones in the blood? Similar responses to unambiguous painful threats? Something? I can't find a reference but I remember reading at the time that part of the loris's "cute" behavior in one video was recognized as a defensive reaction by someone familiar with them. That's the best I can come up with right now, sorry.

By: scalefree

scalefree — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 07:30:54 -0800

As for the penguin, I believe the flapping he's doing is evidence of sexual excitement rather than just plain happiness at being tickled. We have much in common with them but not everything. Animals aren't people.

By: Cold Lurkey

Cold Lurkey — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 08:48:52 -0800

Ok, one more really adorable vid of a parakeet tickling a sleepy kitteh. When parakeets pet kittens it's cute and nibbly... when cockatoos pet kittens it is kinda creepy.

By: airgirl

airgirl — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 10:02:37 -0800

When parakeets pet kittens it's cute and nibbly... when cockatoos pet kittens it is kinda creepy.
Really creepy. Maybe it's the relative size or those icky claws or that HUGE beak. That cockatoo looks menacing! I loved the penguin, though. :)

By: palmcorder_yajna

palmcorder_yajna — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 10:14:12 -0800

Scalefree's right. That flipper-patting is a mating behavior. I still think it's cute, though.

By: owlrigh

owlrigh — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 15:52:05 -0800

>When parakeets pet kittens it's cute and nibbly... when cockatoos pet kittens it is kinda creepy. >>Really creepy. Maybe it's the relative size or those icky claws or that HUGE beak. That cockatoo looks menacing! I loved the penguin, though. :) One of the YouTube commenters said "the bird looks like a pedophile", and oddly enough, before I saw the comment--when the cockie was about to munch on the cat's ear I was thinking OH NOES, THIS LOOKS SO WRONG, like the bird is grooming the cat for molestation! Anthropomorphising, I know. Creepy. Amusing to see the cockie's feet go in that direction, but still creepy...

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 15:52:33 -0800

SOON

By: Cold Lurkey

Cold Lurkey — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 22:25:47 -0800

Agreed owlrigh, I refrained from over-editorializing on it, but seriously, the reptilian looks and skeevy claws that the cockatoo is given the poor little kitten what doesn't know any better makes my skin crawl in a deeply anthropomorphic way too.

By: palomar

palomar — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 06:11:22 -0800

Oh man. You guys. This penguin video has been showing up on my Facebook feed for days, but I have this weird knee-jerk reaction to everything on Facebook lately so when videos show up there I basically refuse to watch them. But clearly I am only hurting myself with that kind of foolishness, because BABY PENGUIN OMFG I LOVE HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *explodes*

By: 5_13_23_42_69_666

5_13_23_42_69_666 — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 21:36:04 -0800

Ok, one more really adorable vid of a parakeet tickling a sleepy kitteh ok I'm really sorry to have to be the jerk-ass pedant about this, but I actually cringe when I see videos like that of little birds and cats together. It is cute looking, but unfortunately cat saliva is really dangerous to birds, and since they lick themselves clean it's all over their claws. the smallest scratch, even one done playfully, can kill the bird. painfully. The cockatoo and cat one is better - bigger birds have more feathers/thicker skin, so it's not so risky. now the penguin? eeeek! so cute

By: scalefree

scalefree — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 18:01:59 -0800

You want the cute? You can't handle the cute.

By: homunculus

homunculus — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:09:23 -0800

Hysterical bubbles!

By: audacity

audacity — Mon, 02 May 2011 12:47:29 -0800

scalefree, that poor dog looks miserable!