Whether you celebrate the holiday today or not, the end of December is a good time to reflect on the previous year and the year to come. In 2012, Grist List posted a lot of animal videos. In 2013, we will also post a lot of animal videos, but they won’t be these very same ones, unless I am hung over. So, before the year draws to a close, let us stroll together through our memories of ducks, walruses, and scary emus.
Mitik the baby walrus
“I’m calling it: Walruses are the new ‘it’ animal. They’re a towering masterpiece of ugly-cute — they like to snuggle and head-butt and play with a ball, and they’re covered in puppy fat, but they also look like Wilford Brimley! Plus, they have mustaches, which hipsters are still inexplicably into.”
Sloths getting potty trained
“The one that literally falls over from poop bliss is my new spirit animal.”
Baby bear conga line
“Alternate caption: ‘This limbo is tooooo low. This Electric Slide is tooooo high. But this conga line is juuuuuuuust right!'”
Rude emu
“As we have discussed before in these pages, birds are basically dinosaurs, which is both scary and amazing. But when one of those dinosaurs is sticking its head in your crotch looking for treats, the needle tends to tick over into ‘scary’ territory.”
Sloths in pajamas
“What do you do when orphaned baby sloths are afflicted with mange? Shave them, rub them with lard, and wrap them in sloth pajamas.”
Rescued ducks on their first-ever swim
“The neglected birds had never even seen a pond. But the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary has nursed them back to health, repairing infections, injured feet, and nutritional deficiencies — and now you can watch these newly rehabilitated duckies learn to swim. They’re a bit confused about it at first, but eventually, they take to it like a … well, you know.”
