Above: Whitetail fawns near Missoula
LAURA VERHAEGHE
Too Cute for Words Though we do need a few to explain just why baby animals are so adorable. By Jim Pashby 36 | MONTANA OUTDOORS | MAY–JUNE 2023
Why do so many of us go all mushy over baby animals, even feeling compelled to pick one up and cuddle it in our arms? Because, deep down, they remind us of human babies. And we go all mushy over human babies because we’re biologically programmed to find them adorable and provide the attention and
Above right: Black bear cub
Top: Newborn bison
LINDA KELLY
KEN CONGER
Left: Grizzly bear cub
STEVE LUFT
protection they need to survive and perpetuate the human species. Human infants’ proportions—the oversized head, the tiny nose and mouth, and, especially, the massive eyes—are primarily what trigger
our “Awww, so cute” response. In 1943, Austrian ethologist and zoologist Konrad Lorenz described these physiological traits as “baby schema.” Because most baby animals also have these features—even newly hatched rattlesnakes—we are hard-wired MONTANA OUTDOORS | MAY–JUNE 2023 | 37