There are few things more enjoyable and humorously entertaining than cute animals and their offspring making amusing expressions, acting in surprising ways or awkwardly mocking human gestures.
Whether they’re fluffy, scaly or spiny, mighty or meek, quadruped, winged or finny, this year again the surprising world of animals doesn’t disappoint. Some of these critters made headlines, such as the seemingly placid hippo that escaped the flooded zoo in Tbilisi, Georgia; others saddened, such as the traumatized orangutan rescued with her baby; and others endlessly astonished — who knew baby undulate rays had blissed-out smiles?
TIME presents a collection of unpredictable moments brought to you by the wild animal kingdom in the past 12 months.
A flock of sheep walk in the haze in a Beijing suburb, China, Jan. 15, 2015.Lintao Zhang—Getty ImagesBaby pandas born in 2015 are placed on grass for pictures during a photo opportunity at a giant panda breeding centre in Ya'an, Sichuan province, China, Oct. 24, 2015. Network—Reuters Spencer, Alexandra and Victoria (from left) three of 10 corgis racing against each other, battle it out for first place in the Ladbrokes Barkingham Palace Gold Cup Royal Corgi Race in Bedford Square, London, in the hope of determining the name of the next royal baby, ahead of the Duchess of Cambridge's April due date. The baby was named Alexandra. March 19, 2015. David Parry—PA WireAn sub-adult hippo tosses a small calf into the air as the distressed mother watches, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa, April 4, 2015.Greatstock/Barcroft Media/LandovA shepherd dog leaps in the air as it protects a homestead next to a local eagle hunting competition in Qinghe County, Xinjiang, northwestern China, Jan. 30, 2015.
Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesQueen Elizabeth II visits the Large Animals Clinical Skills Building where she met students undertaking equine examinations and working with livestock.
Queen Elizabeth II arrived along with the Duke of Edinburgh at the University of Surrey in Guildford, England, to officially open the university’s new School of Veterinary Medicine. Oct. 15, 2015.
Heathcliff O'Malley—WPA Pool/Getty ImagesDairy cows nuzzle a barn cat as they wait to be milked at a farm in Granby, Quebec, July 26, 2015.Christinne Muschi—ReutersA young visitor holds up her toy bunny to the aquarium glass in front of Aurora the Russian polar bear at the Sao Paulo Aquarium, Brazil, April 16, 2015.
Andre Penner—APTwo young sloth bears play in the zoo in Leipzig, Germany, May 5, 2015.
Lukas Schulze—EPATwo endangered baby undulate rays were born at the Sea Life London Aquarium as part of the attraction's breeding and tracking programme. Aug. 11, 2015. Jonathan Brady—PA WireNastia Pokolo, 74, feeds sheep near her house in the village of Babinets, southwest of the capital Minsk, Belarus, April 17, 2015. Vasily Fedosenko—ReutersA police officer with her gun drawn is caught off guard as a wild cougar runs by in the parking lot of an apartment building in Victoria, Canda, Oct. 5, 2015.
Chad Hipolito—The Canadian Press via AP)A hippopotamus stands in the mud in front of a Swatch watch kiosk after it escaped from a flooded zoo in Tbilisi, Georgia, June 14, 2015. Beso Gulashvili—APA man holds a pig on a float to cross a flooded road amidst a strong current in Sta Rosa, Nueva Ecija in northern Philippines. Oct. 19, 2015, after the area was hit by Typhoon Koppu.Erik de Castro—ReutersA municipal worker stands near dead animals at a flooded zoo in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, June 15, 2015. Vano Shlamov—AFP/Getty ImagesA lion, which was anesthetized, lies in a truck in Champetieres, France, during the evacuation of over 160 animals from the Bouy zoo. The zoo is in compulsory liquidation and its owner was jailed for international trafficking of protected species by an organized gang. April 9, 2015. Thierry Zoccolan—AFP/Getty ImagesA week-old panda cub sleeps in an incubator at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, China, on June 30, 2015.
China's Sichuan province is home to the majority of the the world's nearly 1,900 endangered giant pandas.
John Moore—Getty ImagesA beluga whale sprays water towards visitors during a summer attraction at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium in Yokohama, suburban Tokyo, Japan, July 20, 2015.Toshifumi Kitamura—AFP/Getty ImagesDogs, big and small, and some in tandem or with their owner, participate in the 7th annual Surf City Surf Dog contest in Huntington Beach, Calif., Sept. 27, 2015. Frederic J. Brown—AFP/Getty ImagesIn this screen grab from footage by the World Surf League, Mick Fanning of Australia was attacked by a Shark at the Jbay Open in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, July 19, 2015.WSL via Getty ImagesLocals gather around the carcass of a dead whale shark, caught by fishermen in the sea off of Surabaya, on the East Java island, Indonesia, Oct. 12, 2015. Juni Kriswanto—AFP/Getty ImagesRasmus Kolind work on the dissection of a lion as zoo visitors look on, at the zoo in Odense, Denmark, Oct. 15, 2015.Claus Fisker—AFP/Getty ImagesA person dressed as a polar bear walks in Geneva, Switzerland during a rally ahead of the UN climate summit COP21, Nov. 28, 2015.Fabrice Coffrini—AFP/Getty ImagesHundreds of pets get blessed at a religious and blessing ceremony during Saint Francis of Assisi festivities outside the San Francisco church in downtown Lima, Peru, Oct. 4, 2015.Mariana Bazo—ReutersSheep are led by shepherds through Madrid city center, Spain, Oct. 25, 2015.
The flock of around 2,000 sheep is guided through Madrid streets in defense of ancient grazing, droving and migration rights increasingly threatened by urban sprawl and modern agricultural practices. Francisco Seco—APA farmer paddles his boat as he herds a flock of geese on a wetland area in Jinhu County, Jiangsu province, China, Oct. 10, 2015.China Stringer Network—Reuters
A fisherman throws a fish during the traditional carp haul in the village of Smrzov, near the south Bohemian town of Trebon, Czech Republic, Nov. 2, 2015.David W. Cerny—ReutersA grouse sits on Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's head as he visits a facility of the Forest and Water Management Ministry in Rize, Turkey, Aug. 14, 2015. ReutersA macaw flies over buildings with the Avila mountain behind, Caracas, Venezuela, March 31, 2015. Jorge Silva—ReutersA seagull swoops at a Sky TV drone covering the cricket on day five of the second International Test cricket match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, New Zealand, Jan. 7, 2015. Marty Melville—AFP/Getty ImagesA pet dog is tied to a pole in an empty street as it waits for its owner outside of a shop in Tokyo, Japan, April 23, 2015.Thomas Peter—ReutersTeenagers take photographs using smartphones of Min Min, a Barn Owl in Melbourne, Australia, Oct. 13, 2015. Julian Smith—EPAU.S. Secretary of State John Kerry takes a selfie with a baby elephant while touring the Sheldrick Center Elephant Orphanage at the Nairobi National Park, Kenya, May 3, 2015.Andrew Harnik—POOL New/ReutersA man applies kohl eye make up to his pet monkey, named Gulabo (pinky), before it performs tricks for money along streets in Karachi, Pakistan, May 31, 2015. Akhtar Soomro—ReutersA reveler carries his dog during a Holi Festival in Madrid, Spain, April 26, 2015. The festival is based on the Hindu spring festival Holi, also known as the festival of colors where participants throw at each other dry powder and colored water. Andres Kudacki—APSpanish matador David Galvan is tackled by a bull during a bullfight at The Maestranza bullring, in the Andalusian capital of Seville, Spain, April 24, 2015. Marcelo del Pozo—ReutersA malnourished and traumatized Borneo orangutan and her baby were rescued by International Animal Rescue from an attack by angry villagers in the village of Kuala Satong in West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, as they were escaping rampant wildfires.
Primates fleeing forest fires in Indonesia often head to villages in search of food, which leads to an increase in human-animal conflict. Oct. 14, 2015.
AFP/International Animal Rescue/HeribertusTwo baby orangutans play with each other at the wildlife department in Kuala Lumpur, Malayasia, Oct. 19, 2015. The Malaysian wildlife department in July seized two baby Sumatran orangutans, found in duffel bags, from traffickers who were attempting to sell them to buyers in Malaysia. Olivia Harris—ReutersCows watch birds fly past at Harris Cattle Ranch in Coalinga in the Central Valley, Calif., May 6, 2015. California ranks as the top farm state by annual value of agricultural products, most of which are produced in the Central Valley, the vast, fertile region stretching 450 miles north-sound from Redding to Bakersfield.
Lucy Nicholson—ReutersA goldfinch feeds its newly hatched chicks in their nest in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, South Korea, April 2, 2014. Kim Jae-Sun—EPAA hawk flies over the swimming pool of the Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez during the 68th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 20, 2015. Loic Venance—AFP/Getty ImagesA white headed eagle called Olimpia, mascot of Italian football team Lazio, lands in the stands before the start of the Italian Serie A soccer match against Napoli at the Olympic stadium in Rome, Italy, Jan. 18, 2015.
Alessandro Bianchi—ReutersA dog sits on its bed at My Second Home, a newly opened luxury pet resort and spa in Dubai, April 24, 2015.Ahmed Jadallah—ReutersDogs are seen among faithfuls during a religious service ahead of a blessing ceremony for animals at the Basilica of St. Peter and Paul in Saint-Hubert, Belgium, Nov. 3, 2015. Hundreds of animals get blessed during the celebration of Saint Hubert, the patron saint of hunters who is also invoked for protection of dogs and horses, according to organizers. Yves Herman— ReutersThe head of a cow after slaughter is seen during celebrations of Eid al-Adha at Sunda Kelapa Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 24, 2015
Oscar Siagian—Getty ImagesA man rides a horse with a child through the flames during the "Luminarias" annual religious celebration on the night before Saint Anthony's, patron of animals, in the village of San Bartolome de los Pinares, about 62 miles northwest of Madrid, Spain, Jan. 16, 2014. According to tradition that dates back 500 years, people ride their horses through the narrow cobblestone streets of this small village to purify the animals with the smoke of the bonfires. Juan Medina—ReutersOrangutans walk as haze shrouds Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation camp in Nyaru Menteng, Indonesia's Central Kalimantan province, Oct. 5, 2015.Rosa Panggabean—Antara Photo Agency/ReutersSumatran tiger cubs and their parents walk around their enclosure at London Zoo, U.K., Jan. 5, 2015.Toby Melville—ReutersA family of giraffes looks out from their enclosure before taking part in a Christmas-themed feeding session at Sydney's Taronga Park Zoo, Australia, Dec. 9, 2014.
Jason Reed—ReutersCats crowd the harbor on Aoshima Island in the Ehime prefecture in southern Japan, Feb. 25, 2015. An army of cats rules the remote island in southern Japan, curling up in abandoned houses or strutting about in a fishing village that is overrun with felines outnumbering humans six to one.Thomas Peter—Reuters
