There’s cute. Then there’s super cute. And finally, there’s ‘Tiny Animals on Fingers’ cute! Correct us if we’re wrong, but Bored Panda believes that the smaller the animal, the cuter it tends to look. (No offense to all of you BIG animals out there—we still love you very very much! We totally think you’re cute, too, but in a different way.)

There is a wonderfully wholesome subreddit called ‘Tiny Animals on Fingers’ that celebrates the overwhelming cuteness of illegally smol critters perching on people’s fingers. The subreddit, a community of 80k members, does exactly what it says on the tin. The photos are so heartwarming, you’ll think it’s summer again. Have a look at the very best ones below and don’t forget to upvote your fave pics (remember, an upvote is like gently booping these critters, even if it is through your screen).

We’ve got a huge soft spot for frogs and hummingbirds, but we can’t wait to find out which pictures you loved the most! 

Bored Panda reached out to ‘Help Wildlife,’ a British charity-run advice website dedicated to helping wildlife, to talk to them about critters in the wild and what we can do to protect them. “To avoid disturbing small animals when in nature, it’s best to stick to established pathways where possible. If you see a nest or other animal habitat then only observe from a distance, never try to touch or interfere. If you have a dog friend walking with you, make sure they’re kept under control and they’re not allowed to disturb or harm wildlife,” Sarah, from ‘Help Wildlife,’ told us.

#1 Tiny Baby Hummingbird Drinking Nectar From A Raspberry

Image credits: Heart-Bubbles

#2 Even The Kraken Was Cute Once Upon A Time

Image credits: 9999monkeys

#3 This Is Actually A Flying Fox Species. A Northern Blossom Bat. Pixie Is A Subadult And 8g

Currently raised by our volunteers, she still needs a bit time before she will start to fly but getting more active now

Image credits: Wildlife Rescue Darwin

Sarah from ‘Help Wildlife’ confirmed to Bored Panda that traffic has “a very big impact” on wildlife of all sizes. “As well as the obvious accidents, roads also divide and reduce their natural territories,” she said.

However, not all hope is lost. Some people take the time and energy to protect wildlife from traffic. “Some forward-thinking countries create wildlife crossings when building new roads these days which can be helpful. Otherwise, the best way to prevent the loss of life is to drive carefully, especially in areas with lots of wildlife or where there is undergrowth at the side of the road which animals may dart out from. If an animal comes into contact with your car then always stop and check on them and try to find them help,” Sarah explained.

She noted that in the UK, you can check for wildlife rescues by following this link right here while in the US, you can use Animal Help Now.

#4 Those Smol Legs

Image credits: a.sewoon

#5 Teeny Baby Swordfish

Image credits: Juan C. Levesque

#6 Caterpillar Posing

Image credits: throatfrog

The ‘Tiny Animals on Fingers’ project has been active on Reddit since September 12, 2013. They’ll be celebrating their 8th birthday very soon, so if you enjoy their content, we suggest that you pop in with a quick, “Hello, congratulations, I love what you do, could I have some cake?”

There’s a lot of psychology behind why we find some things cute. According to Dr. Sandra Pimentel, a psychologist at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York, it all ties into evolutionary biology. “If we think about evolution, our goal as a species is to survive and pass on our genes,” she argues.

#7 Tiny Sea Slugs

Image credits: SeriesOfAdjectives

#8 Tiniest Snek Excited For Boops

Image credits: Thorawr

#9 My Friend’s New Baby Turtle

Image credits: morgiibee

“By finding things cute we’re more likely to want to take care of them and protect them. They’re more likely to get the attention of the adults around them, remind them, ‘Hey, take care of me. We’re helpless here,’” Pimentel explains.

Looking at cute things releases dopamine in our brains, making us feel happy. In other words, we’re rewarded for looking at all the various expressions of cuteness to be found in life. Including looking at tiny animals sitting on people’s fingers. Go on, keep scrolling, your brain will thank you for it. Besides, you know you need a small break from school/work/saving the world.

#10 A Western (Australian) Pygmy Possum

Image credits: aussiecarnt

#11 Please Enjoy These 3 Babies

Image credits: Book-Dragoness

#12 The Tiniest Of Geckos

What we tend to find cute boils down to a list of physical characteristics that have different proportions than those of adults. For instance, we’d find an animal or a baby cute because they have a big head relative to their body size. Furthermore, larger eyes, round cheeks, larger foreheads, smaller chins, and smaller noses also increase the level of cuteness.

As much as we might want to hold all the super cute animals that we can, we should be aware that getting involved with wildlife might not be the best option. It’s always best to admire wildlife from afar instead of getting up close and personal.

#13 Baby Snapping Turtles Look Just Like Little Dinosaurs

Image credits: Brick_in_the_dbol

#14 One Smol Dragon

Image credits: Superpoivr

#15 Tiny Baby Chameleons

Image credits: Minh Triều Anh

If you’re planning on feeding wild animals (whether teeny-tiny, large, or something in between), you ought to make sure that they don’t become dependent on human beings.

“Make sure it’s something healthy, don’t feed so much that they become dependent on people, always keeping in mind you won’t be the only ones feeding them, and don’t let them associate people with food. It’s best for their survival that they remain independent and don’t start approaching people for food,” ‘Help Wildlife’ told Bored Panda during an earlier interview.

So go on, admire all those tiny critters. But don’t be sad if not all of them want to sit on your finger immediately.

#16 Weekend Crab

Image credits: shibaisthebestboi

#17 Floyd

Image credits: emmydvshr

#18 How About A Non-Furry Little Guy? This Dude Out With Me For A While In Hawaii

Image credits: renkfasze

#19 My Lil’ Starfish Buddy

Image credits: ldrodrig

#20 Tiny Snek

Image credits: StuffyUnicorn

#21 Turtley Enough For The Turtle Club

Image credits: master-jono

#22 Pinky Finger

Image credits: _Geiger

#23 Two Tiny Newborn Feathertail Gliders

Image credits: ArghNoNo

#24 A Little Vietnamese Mossy Frog

Image credits: K4Kerala

#25 Look At You

Image credits: a.sewoon

#26 Little Jumping Spood

Image credits: Sk8rghost

#27 Little Baby Grasshopper Hanging Out

Image credits: hollywoodbatman

#28 Say Hello To Bugmeat

Image credits: bitchinbaja

#29 This Baby Starfish

Image credits: Chuck Hilliard

#30 The Tinyness Of This Frog

Image credits: PoojiethePillowPet

#31 This Very Tiny Frog I Found By My Pool Today

Image credits: ThatBandKid69

#32 I’ve Never Seen A Baby Catfish In Here

Image credits: pandymonium001

#33 Look What I Found

Image credits: talldarkw0n

#34 Newly Discovered “Nano-Chameleon” Is World’s Smallest Known Reptile

Image credits: neroina

#35 This Very Tiny Frog

Image credits: Skifeur

#36 This Super Adorable Bee

Image credits: Lennart van Vliet

#37 Babies

Image credits: debbiesunfish

#38 Lots Of Tiny Animals On Lots Of Fingers

Image credits: grettaaa

#39 Found Two Baby Bats Rolling On My Deck This Morning. I Had Never Seen A Baby Bat Before, Thought Maybe Others Hadn’t Either

Image credits: jtr2277

#40 A Very Tiny Baby Harvest Mouse

Image credits: ResistibleElk

#41 If He Fits, He Sits

Image credits: ltipp18

#42 1 Day Old Snek

Image credits: actually_oh

#43 Lil Baby Hentz Striped Scorpion

Image credits: BeeMinder

#44 Tiny Babies

Image credits: Dane_or_Daniwa

#45 A Tiny Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Image credits: allywarner

#46 We Give Green Tree Pythons A Big Thumbs Up

Image credits: txchondros

#47 Baby Snapping Turtle My Mom Found In A Gas Station Parking Lot. He Was Actively Trying To Bite Me

Image credits: Kinnakeet

#48 Everyone Loves A Newborn

Image credits: Silkmilk1

#49 Happy Danger Noodle

Image credits: Equivalent_Yam_3777

#50 Little Guy Wanted To Say Hello

Image credits: emskiimoneyy

#51 10-Weeks-Old “Trioceros Hoehnelii”. They Are Called “Hoehs”

Image credits: indicator_species

#52 Does This Count?

Image credits: deathcuck

#53 Tiny Baby Shrew I Found Today

Image credits: hansbanans03

#54 Little Ghost

Image credits: crazymantislady

#55 Fuzzy Little Moth

Image credits: im_not_zelda

#56 A Little Mantis We Found Today

Image credits: reddit.com

#57 Teeny Spooder I Found In My Kitchen

Image credits: tsume24

#58 We Have The Same Expression For 2020. “Anotheca Spinosa” Spiny Head Tree Frog Metamorph

Image credits: indicator_species

#59 Little Starfish

Image credits: lilly_willy

#60 Baby Ashy Gecko Found In The Florida Keys

Image credits: tmansen

#61 Critically Endangered Baby Lemur Leaf Frog. Being A Wildlife Conservationist Is Tough, But This Little Face Is Why I Do What I Do

Image credits: HIsalamanda

#62 Little Crab

Image credits: Salemtrivals

#63 Little Crab At Virginia Beach

Image credits: NetWt4Lbs

#64 A Very Small Cute Hamster

Image credits: VoteForFire

#65 Welcome To The World Little One

Image credits: indicator_species

#66 The First Mexican Black Kingsnake Hatched

Image credits: indicator_species

#67 Spotted Turtle And Spotted Frog, Clemmys Guttata And Ranitomeya Vanzolini

Image credits: indicator_species

#68 Found This Illegally Smol Froggo Outside

Image credits: Redditalt2comment

#69 Here Is A Baby Horned Lizzard

Image credits: manderly808

#70 Found A Tiny Dekay’s Brown Snake In My Backyard. The Little Noodle Let Me Take A Photo And Then Scurried Off

Image credits: solidsnakes453

#71 Froggos Really Come In All Sizes

Image credits: keeekooon

#72 Rescued This Smol Friend From The Shower

Image credits: vulturemittens

#73 The Tiniest Frog I Have Ever Caught

Found this tiny guy in my kids sandbox. I wish I could get a closer pic, but that was the best my phone would do. Cute little bugger.

Image credits: Hemispheres

#74 Tiny Crab Staring Right Back At You

Image credits: Jermzberry

#75 Just Hatched Today. Welcome To The World Little Slug Buddy And Siblings

Image credits: PoofMoof1

#76 My Parents Recently Visited Costa Rica, Came Back Home To Iowa And Found This Guy Hiding In Their Clothes

Image credits: goomagoomarum

#77 Brave Lil Grabbies

Image credits: dubcgliders

#78 A Friend That Almost Landed On A Kid’s Head At Work

Image credits: spidertippytaps

#79 Another Victim Saved From My Killer Kitty, I Think It’s Vile Of Some Sort. I Sent Him On His Way In The Blackberries Away From My House And Wished Him Luck

Image credits: barrellturtle223

#80 A Juvenile European Lobster

Image credits: Katie Sindle

#81 Hummingbird Hit My Door And Got Stunned I Moved Him, So My Dogs Wouldn’t Hurt It. He’s Totally Fine Now. Such Sweet Little Creatures

Image credits: kimmiemarie1

#82 I Found A Tiny Noodle In The Pool This Morning

Image credits: Kilsley24

#83 Smol Lick

Image credits: sparkydog

#84 I Found A Pseudoscorpion Yesterday

Image credits: wipeout-105

#85 Wild Baby Snek Does A Knot

Image credits: kknosh

#86 Baby Blue Tailed Skink I Found Under My Toolbox

Image credits: gositonaduck

#87 More Amazon Milk Froglet Fun. Little & Large

Image credits: PJDB-gamefreak666

#88 Found This Guy While On My Honeymoon

Image credits: RejectedToast

#89 Rescued This Little Guy Swimming In The Pool

Image credits: admiralfishtaco

#90 This Goes Here

Image credits: San_Bird_Man

#91 Was Told To Post This Here. I Give You A Tiny Grasshopper

Image credits: vonage91

#92 Her Name Is “Pope Francis The Praying Mantis”

Image credits: StandAloneBluBerry

#93 Met This Tiny Unit Today. Its Name Is Lollihops

Image credits: Darth_hayter

#94 Screaming Little One

Image credits: Myscalybabies

#95 Orphaned Baby Opossum I Am Raising

Image credits: MyBobaFetish

#96 Teenie Tiny Little Inchworm I Found Today

Image credits: Im-A-Scared-Child

#97 Does This Count?

Image credits: watchOS

#98 Baby Horny Toad

Image credits: CottonCandyPeeps

#99 My Baby Hognose Snake On My Thumb

Image credits: Sniv-The-Unworthy

#100 A Baby Horned Lizard

Image credits: U.S. Department of the Interior

#101 Met This Little Friend While On Safari In Kenya

Image credits: isthatmypen

#102 Much Tiny Boi

#103 Getting Some Seahorse Hugs

Image credits: redheadedw0nder

#104 The Sworn Protector Of My Garden

Image credits: ThaNagler

#105 Baby Ramen

Image credits: Thesteezyslugg

#106 These Guys Live In My Garden And Bask On The Cement

Image credits: deathcuck

#107 Little Ribbon Snake Who Wandered Into My Office

Image credits: Lost_subaru

#108 Bees Having A Snack On My Finger

Image credits: raven_1313

#109 Little Friend Who Crawled Up My Leg On A Camping Trip. He Rested There For A Good Few Minutes

Image credits: laurenbutnot

#110 Looks As If He Has Summited A Mountain

Image credits: erinhsu

#111 Baby Painted Turtle I Found

Image credits: fluffy__tofu

#112 One Of My Endangered Blanding’s Turtles “Emydoidea Blandingii” Taking Her First Breath In My Fingers

Image credits: indicator_species

#113 This Beautiful Boy Is A Month Out Of Pouch Today

Image credits: HypnoticDragon

Source: boredpanda.com