This Facebook Group Celebrates ‘Cute Nopes’ That Might Change Your Mind About Them (50 Pics)

The Cute Nopes Facebook page was launched on April 29th, 2016, and has amassed over 168k followers since  then. The page describes itself simply stating, “Cute insects/animals/other things that make you say NOPE.” And what more could you ask for? From photos of animals that most of us would be terrified to encounter in the wild but somehow still look cute and cuddly to pics of insects that could be from someone’s nightmares, this page does a wonderful job of making viewers conflicted. Is this photo cute or unsettling? Both, perhaps?

The concept of the page is genius, but it does get me wondering why some animals are considered cute and others are deemed definite “nopes”. According to scientists, certain features in animals that subconsciously remind us of human babies usually make us swoon. We are programmed to want to care for tiny humans , so if a little creature reminds us of them, we may want to cuddle them and feed them a bottle as well.

The fact that we find certain features cute can be utilized by anyone. Even the designers of the Mini Cooper purposefully made its headlights large, round and forward-facing to appeal to people who would find it cute. And it worked; cute is definitely the word I would use to describe those cars. The reason why we love “cute” things is because they provide our brains with feel-good chemicals like dopamine. We may even feel “cuteness aggression”, or the feeling of being overwhelmed with cuteness to the point that you want to squish or squeeze your puppy as hard as you can. (But we know logically that we should not actually do this.)

When it comes to animals, having cute babies might be essential for some of their survival as well. Animals that do not need to be cared for by their parents after birth tend to be less cute, as they can just go straight into the world without needing to be looked after. Some examples are reptiles, most insects and fish. You might find them cute, but they do not have the typically adorable features like large eyes and large heads. 

Other animals, who need to be tended to by their parents for some time, are usually more cute so their parents feel the desire to nurture them. Most mammals are born much smaller than they eventually end up with large eyes, rounder noses and a layer of baby fat. It is important that humans, and many other mammals, find their offspring cute at first so they have the patience to take care of them for years to come. If your baby came out looking like a lizard, you might not be as inclined to protect and nurture it for eighteen years. 

Some creatures have even taken advantage of their cuteness factor. It is believed that dogs have evolved to be even cuter than they were centuries ago to exploit human preferences. The more adorable a dog is, the better humans will treat it, and big, round, “puppy dog eyes” can even get a dog out of a shelter when the right person comes along feeling sympathetic. After all, would you rather adopt a wild wolf or a Labrador?

To hear from an animal lover who advocates for creatures of all kinds, we reached out to Nancy Lawson, creator of The Humane Gardener and author of the book under the same title. First, we asked Nancy if there are many animals who are misunderstood due to the way they look. "So many animals are misunderstood simply because people are unfamiliar with them, and their lifestyles and behaviors are different from ours," Nancy told Bored Panda. "Snakes are a good example because they move so differently than we do, and they lack facial expressions. They communicate mainly through scent; they can find mates, socialize, express fear and alert others to imminent danger that way. Those things are largely invisible to us, but it doesn't mean that snakes are any less engaged with the world than we are. They have social lives of their own, making friends with other snakes, and they have even been found to take care of each other's young."

"A lot of animals have ways of making themselves look scary so they can deter predators," Nancy explained. "Insects are particularly good at this. One of my favorites is the hickory horned devil caterpillar, the larva of the regal moth (also called the royal walnut moth). At an early stage, the caterpillars are rust-colored and very spiny. Later they become a bright turquoise color with reddish "horns." Though some caterpillars can deliver a sting if you touch them -- a natural defense -- these little guys are just good at bluffing, taking on a flamboyant coloration and shape to freak out birds and other potential predators."

We also asked Nancy if there is any reason to be afraid of most animals. "There are usually many more reasons for animals to be scared of humans," she says. "We are the ultimate predators, with the ability to destroy each other and the rest of life on earth. Behaviors of wildlife species of many kinds and sizes -- coyotes, bears, social wasps like yellow jackets -- are often mistaken for intentional aggression towards humans, but that couldn't be further from the truth. When these animals exhibit such behaviors, they are just trying to defend their nests and protect their young. If someone got too close to our children or started peeking in our windows, we would defend ourselves and our homes too, right?"