Animals I Think Are Beautiful, But Everyone Else Thinks is Ugly

You all know by now I love animals! I love them more than I like people. In fact, a lot of the times, I hate people! Though I love my friends and family, every time I hear some story of in-compassionate or hard-nosed, judgmental people, it reminds me of why I hate people in the first place! I think most every animal is beautiful. Well, except for panthers of any kind! I still can't stand them! But there are some animals that I think are absolutely spectacular, but everyone else thinks is ugly. Just about every animal family has at least some utterly gorgeous species, even the panther family. Among the panthers, I think snow leopards are the prettiest. However, this post is not about that, this is about species within families of animals that everyone else thinks is ugly, and I've heard so many people say it and scowl at the thought of those groups. Here are some of the most beautiful representatives of those families:

Mice:

Though most murophobes would disagree with me I am sure, there are indeed some very handsome looking mice out there. Zebra mice are among those. But it is true that mice do carry nasty diseases, a lot of them are harmful to humans, one has to admit, at a distance, there are some very good-looking mice. I used to raise zebra mice a long time ago, when owning some was still legal in the USA. I thought they were not only such beautiful rodents, but also very graceful as well.





Rats:

Well, just as there are some impressive-looking mice out there in the world, there are also some very handsome looking rats as well. Because of their long, furry, cat-like tails, you'd never take this Panay cloud rat for a rat! In fact, the only thing that might give this guy away as even being a rat would be it's typical rodent incisors. Most of us think of rats as being squat creatures with long, naked tails, as that is what most of us are used to seeing as being what makes a rat a rat. Cloud rats, which are found in the Philippines, live in trees in cool, cloudy rain forests, and have developed somewhat longer legs for leaping abilities, flexible toes for grasping branches effectively, and a profusely-furred tail for insulation.




Opossums:

Most of us, when we think of opossums, we think of the common American opossum that is considered a delicacy in the south. Most people also think they are ugly, lazy and stupid. But really, I think they are very beautiful animals myself. And there are some very impressive varieties out there in the world. This is the Thick-tailed opossum, also known as the Lutrine opossum because it somewhat resembles an otter. It is even capable of swimming, and has been known to feed on fish. This relative of the American opossum lives in South America and is one of the more handsome of the new world marsupials.


Vulture:

Well personally, I just think all birds are beautiful! But I love vultures. This King vulture is perhaps the most colorful vulture of them all and it is found in South America, where a vast number of brightly-colored birds are found. Vultures look scarier than they really are because of their eagle-like beaks, which are useful for tearing up chunks of meat from a carcass. Their beaks however are weaker than those of hawks and eagles, so they generally have to wait for a predator to finish eating before the whole flock of vultures take over a kill. They usually wait until after all the mammalian scavengers, like hyenas and jackals, finish because the mammals are better able to open up a carcass as they have more powerful jaws than the vultures. But ironically, it is usually vultures that sense a kill or a dying animal first.






Xoloitzcuintli:

There are a number of hairless dog breeds, but the Xoloitzcuintli has become one of the most famous. A lot of people think hairless dogs are ugly, but I happen to think the Xolo is a very handsome dog! They come in 3 sizes, this one pictured is the Standard Xolo, but there is also a miniature, and the rarely-seen toy version. They were used in Mexico as bed-warmers before there was ever such a thing as electric blankets.




Bats:

I admit it, bats are one of my most favorite animals. Not all, mind you, but mostly the pteropods fascinate me. Lots of people don't like them, because they mistake them all for being like miniature vampires. But most bats, like this Dwarf epauletted fruit bat, are gentle animals that usually do not bite unless provoked. But it is true that bats are reservoirs for a number of fatal viruses and bacteria, among those rabies, and it is currently believed they may also be the chief transporters of ebola virus. But all in all, if you leave them alone, and just stand back and admire them, you'd notice they are beautiful creatures, and actually carry fewer diseases than cats.


Frogs:

A lot of people think of frogs as being ugly, slimy, stupid creatures. But in truth, there are a lot of very nice-looking frogs. I've always been fascinated by frogs and things like that. There are also many quite colorful varieties. We all know about the poison-dart frogs of the Amazon jungle, but also several other varieties are quite colorful, like this Red-eyed tree frog. I think frogs are cool! They come in such a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors, and have such cute little calls, I just find them irresistible!






Snakes:

Most people don't like snakes because they are scared. They are afraid every snake they will meet will be venomous. Well, meet the California red-sided garter snake, one of the most attractive snakes in North America. It is completely non-venomous, and actually a very gentle snake. Snakes however, are nervous animals because they have numerous predators, and their skin is not really that tough. So, they are actually quite easy prey for predators, which means they will defend themselves viciously sometimes.