You probably already know that China has a one child per couple policy, but you might not know how it is enforced or who is granted exceptions to the rule. The answers to these questions can be found over at Mental Floss and they are simply fascinating.

Provincial governments are responsible for enforcing the policy and do so through a mix of rewards and punishments doled out by local officials. In most provinces, having a an extra child gets you a fine, the amount of which varies across provinces. In some places, the fine is a set amount (usually in the thousands of dollars), and in others it’s based on a percentage of the violator’s annual income. In some provinces, policy violators can also have their property and/or belongings confiscated and lose their jobs.

Who knew they even can fire you from your job for having an extra baby?

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New Year’s babies are considered to be good luck, but when you’re as adorable as these baby leopard tortoises, you certainly don’t need to worry about luck. These little cuties were born at the Zoo Pragu, three on New Year’s Eve and three after midnight on New Year’s Day. While they’re tiny enough to fit all six in one woman’s hand right now, they won’t be for long…these guys will grow to up to 120 pounds each. At least their keepers will have plenty of photos to remember them in their infancy.

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It almost sounds like they have horns in their throat aside from the ones on their faces.

Via Geekosystem

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Who knew they made such weirdly adorable noises?

Via I Can Has Cheezburger

I don’t care how great your family photos came out this year, they are almost certainly not as cute as this tortoise’s portrait with her new brood of 45 hatchlings. Granted, not all of them could make it to the photo session, but fortunately they look similar enough that in a few year, mom won’t remember who was there and who wasn’t.

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Back in September, Alex introduced you all to Nafanya, the ginger seal pup that was abandoned by her mother. If you were worried about the little cutie, then you’ll be happy to hear that she’s doing just fine these days. She’s residing at the Akvatoria dolphinarium and is already a huge hit with the crowds even though she still hasn’t been released to hang out with the other seals since she is under a one month quarantine. If you want to keep up with her progress, you can watch her web cam here.

Link Via The Mary Sue

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Halloween may be over, but that doesn’t make these eight month old twins playing the role of Goose and Maverick any less cute. Of course, the jet stroller is an unbelievably cute accessory.

Via Laughing Squid

We already posted our own round up of cute kid’s costumes, but The Mary Sue has their own gallery and the pictures are simply precious. My personal favorite is this adorable little Cabbage Patch Doll.

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Fake Science is a blog that teaches fiction in the most delightfully silly ways. Visiting the blog will teach you to prevent hangovers by watering down your beer and what your state’s speed limit is when it comes to the velocity of a sneeze.

Link Via Laughing Squid

If you have a baby and want to know how successful he will be in certain sports or how popular he will be with the ladies, it turns out, you can actually gauge these pretty well even before he starts learning how to throw a baseball. Learn how and read more about weird physical indicators over on Cracked.

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You might remember my post from a week ago featuring a precious baby dressed as The Doctor, at the time, I had no info on where the image came from. But thanks to your comments, I now know that the WhoBaby actually has her own blog, Flickr account and Twitter account filled with even more adorable pictures. If you want more, there is plenty more to see, so enjoy!

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If you enjoy how cute this little baby seal is while screaming like a human child, then you’ll also like the other animals that scream like people as seen on BuzzFeed.

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I don’t have any info on the source of this picture, but I know that at least a few of our Neatorama readers probably have dressed their little ones up in clothing like this on occasion. Anyone know where this picture comes from or have any geeky baby pics of their own?

Via Geeks Are Sexy

The coati is a relative of the raccoon, but with a distinctively more piggish snout. While they’re always pretty cute, they are mind-blowingly precious as babies as you can see in this great ZooBorns post. Don’t miss out on these precious pics.

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The nursery takes in orphan elephants from all over Kenya, many victims of poaching or human-wildlife conflict, and raises them until they are no longer milk dependent. Once healed and stabilized at the nursery, they are moved more than a hundred miles southeast to two holding centers in Tsavo National Park. There, at their own pace, which can be up to eight to ten years, they gradually make the transition back into the wild. The program is a cutting-edge experiment in cross-species empathy that only the worst extremes of human insensitivity could have necessitated.

Be sure to read the whole thing to learn all kinds of fascinating information about the group, the elephants and the amazing people working to improve the lives of these majestic creatures.

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For those of you who like looking at adorable pictures of cuddly things, this BuzzFeed gallery featuring kids with their pets is simply precious. It certainly makes me want to cuddle up with my pup.

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Oddee has a great article featuring the World’s Youngest record holders for a variety of titles. While they range from shocking (the world’s youngest grandmother) to fascinating (the world’s youngest CEO). Perhaps the cutest though is the world’s youngest surfer:

Jaylan Amor is only two years old, but is already surfing the waves outside of Brisbane, Australia, and has secured multiple endorsements from surf shops. To catch a wave, his dad paddles him out to sea, then the two year old hops and rides the waves back into shore. Mr Amor isn’t worried if Jaylan falls, as the tike just swims back to his board and waits for daddy to help him back up.

Read about the rest at the link.

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I always read ZooBorns for their great pictures of adorable baby animals, but this cutie koala was so adorable that I couldn’t help but share him with all of you. For more precious pics, be sure to click on the link.

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The video isn’t nearly as raunchy as my title might have you believe, but it can be even more disturbing. I’ll be honest, this video gives me chills every time I watch it. Even so, it’s fascinating to watch the surinam toad give birth, being as how the male embeds the eggs on the female’s back.

Via The Ever So Strange

BuzzFeed has a great collection of fun fan art pictures, from video games to anime to Lady Gaga, there are a lot of fun and silly subjects on the list. My favorite is Baby Skeletor by Dave Correia. He’s so young and already so full of hate for Heman.

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It’s never to early to start training your kids in geekdom. That’s why I highly endorse these adorably geeky baby beanies made by Etsy seller Fancy Purls.

Link via Laughing Squid

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I don’t know where this sign is actually from, but it’s admittedly hilarious. It seems to be saying “don’t put your baby on the crocodile rail where it will become dinner.” Have you guys ever seen this or any of the other hilarious roadsigns from this 11 Points post?

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YouTube link.

Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to determine what they are talking about.

The missing sock?  Or something more profound?

Via Reddit, where it is speculated that they are Italian (because of all the hand gestures).

Neatorama author Jill Harness collected the funniest slogans from baby shirts that parents inflict on their little darlings. This one is a natural, after her tribute to president Roosevelt a couple of weeks ago. See them all in this post at Oddee. Some text may be NSFW. Link

Kenneth Feldman and Michelle Dortignac saw a squirrel build a nest against the outside of a window in their apartment. Through the glass, they were able to watch every move the squirrel made as she gave birth and cared for the babies. Better yet, they took photographs and video to share with the rest of us! The squirrel mother is now raising her third litter in the window. Read the story, and see lots more pictures at The Squirrel in our Window. Link -via Metafilter

In nature, most animals have little or no contact with their biological fathers, but humans do and we certainly aren’t alone. In celebration of all the great dads of our readers and the great dad readers, here’s a collection of some of the best animal fathers around in no particular order.

Image via Sukanto Debnath [Flickr]

1) Seahorses

Perhaps the most famous of all animal fathers are seahorses, which are known for being one of the only male animals in the world to get pregnant. The female deposits her eggs into his brood, then he fertilizes the eggs and carries them to term. As you can see in the image, they can get quite large during the pregnancy period. The number of babies may vary greatly by species, as seahorses can deliver as few as 5 babies or as many as 1,500. On average though, the numbers are around 100-200.

Source Image via Jaro Nemcok

2) Hardhead Catfishes

The hardheaded catfish doesn’t have such a thick skull when it comes to fatherhood. While he doesn’t get pregnant like a seahorse, he does put up to 48 of his fertilized eggs in his mouth and carries them with him for 60 days. If that wasn’t uncomfortable enough, he doesn’t eat for this entire period, making him one dedicated daddy.

Source Image via Eustatic [Flickr]

3) Marsupial Frogs

As the name suggests, the marsupial frog also carries his babies around in his brood pouch. While there are a few different species of marsupial frogs, perhaps the most impressive fathers are those that guard the eggs laid on the ground. When the eggs hatch, the ground will not provide enough moisture for the tadpoles, so he puts them in his brood pouch until they hop out as baby frogs.

Source Image via Brian.gratwicke [Flickr]

4) Darwin Frogs

Similarly, the Darwin frog also guards its eggs until they hatch, but he takes them into his vocal sac (up to 30 at a time), where they will stay until they grow into young frogs and hop out of his mouth.

Source Image via huenchecal [Flickr]

5) Mimic Poison Frog

The mimic poison frog has a notable reputation for not only being a great father, but also being a great husband. As a matter of fact, it is the only amphibian to be certifiably monogamous. The female frog lays her eggs on leaves and those that hatch are then moved by the father into a tiny pool of water inside a bromeliad. Because there are not enough nutrients for the tadpoles to survive in these conditions, the male not only guards them, but watches for signs that the baby needs food. When he croaks, the mother comes by and lays an unfertilized egg in the pool of water as a source of nourishment for the baby.

Source Image via phrakt [Flickr]

6) Emperor Penguins

Perhaps the next best known fathers in the animal kingdom, emperor penguins not only watch the fertilized eggs, they go for months at a time in the freezing arctic without a meal. The fathers keep the eggs on their feet and covered with their bellies because contact with the sub-freezing ground can result in immediate death of the embryo inside.  He stays like this for two months and by this time, he has already gone over 100 days without a meal. The female penguins generally return shortly after the eggs hatch, but until they arrive, the daddy manages to feed the youngsters with a substance produced in his esophagus. Only after the females return and the couple exchanges shifts does the male get to head to sea for a well-deserved meal.

Source Image via ASOC Pictures [Flickr]

7) Namaqua Sandgrouse

When it comes to care after the chick is born, the Namaqua sandgrouse is one heck of a dad. During the incubation period, he sits on the nest at night and then the mother incubates the eggs during the day. The father really shines after the chicks hatch though and the mother leaves the family to fend for themselves. The birds live in arid desert areas and while the nests are always located around watering holes, the young chicks cannot make it to water, so the dad has to bring it to them. He dips his belly in water every morning and his feathers absorb the water like a sponge, each feather can hold up to eight times its weight in water. He then returns to the nest where the chicks can drink the water straight from his feathers.

Source Image via Arno & Louise [Flickr]

Greater Hornbills

Ever wonder why a hornbill has such a massive beak? It’s partly so they can break out of their nesting area when they grow up. Greater hornbills build their nests inside hollowed out parts of trees, which are then sealed off with mud and feces so nothing can get in or out without quite a struggle. The mother stays in the inside of this nest and a small slit is left in the plug so the male can pass food to her. For the entire incubation period, he will make up to five trips a day to feed his mate and the chicks once they hatch. When the chicks become large enough to crowd the nest, the mother will break her way out of the nest with her casque and then reseal the barrier, leaving the chicks inside. The mother and father then continue to take turns feeding the chicks for another four or five months until their beaks are developed enough that they can break the seal and fly out.

Source Image via Lip Kee [Flickr]

9) Rheas

Rhea may not be the most loyal mates, with each male courting anywhere between 2 and 12 females, but they are certainly great dads. Each male can incubate 10 and 60 eggs for around 40 days (an average nest contains around 26 eggs from 7 females). When the chicks are born, he is very protective, charging anyone, including female rheas, who approach the babies. He raises the chicks completely on his own and teaches them how to fend for themselves.

Source Image via LadyofHats [Wikimedia]

10) Jacanas

Like the rheas, jacanas are very active fathers who not only incubate their nests but teach their babies about the basics of life. Known as lily trotters or Jesus birds for their ability to walk on water using plants like the lily pads, these little birds lay their nests on submerged plants and the male protects and incubates the eggs while the female finds more mates. If the eggs start to sink or otherwise become endangered, he will carry them to a new nesting site under his wing. Once they are born, he helps feed and care for the chicks until they can survive on their own. The female will only return if the something happens to the eggs and the male is therefore open to breed again.

Source Image via emilybean [Flickr]

11) Giant Water Bugs

Insects aren’t generally considered to be the most active parents in the world, but the male giant water bug is certainly an exception. He totes the entire brood of eggs –often up to 150 at a time– on his back until they hatch. The female simply lays the eggs and then glues them to daddy before she takes off, leaving him to rear the youngsters. During the three weeks he carries the eggs, he protects them and takes time to dry them out of the water so they don’t get moldy.

Source Image via NoiseCollusion [Flickr]

12) Marmosets

Primates can be good dads too (as evidenced by our celebration of Father’s Day in general), and humans aren’t the only good fathers in our animal order. Enter marmosets. Not only are these little tiny monkeys simply adorable, they are also great parents.

Male marmosets start caring for their young from day one when they groom and lick newborns as the mother recuperates from her ordeal (the babies are generally born as twins and usually make up around 25 percent of her body weight, the equivalent of a human woman giving birth to a baby between 30 and 40 pounds). After thate feeds, carries and grooms the infants. Meanwhile, the mother will often get pregnant again within the next two weeks, leaving daddy to take care of the babies.

Source Image via Joachim S. Muller [Flickr]

I hope you all have a great day with your families, and to all you fathers out there, Happy Father’s day!

The picture on the left is not photoshopped. That’s really what the chicks look like. Their eggs were injected with dye, leaving the little ones colored upon hatching. Once their new feathers grow out, they’ll be normal-colored again, but for now, they’re mighty festive.

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If you want your little one to look as adorable as this little angel, you’re in luck, Sarah James of Instructables has instructions on how to make your own baby Care Bear costume from a dead Care Bear carcass.

Link Via Craftzine

The viral versions of the infamous Evian; Skating Babies ad campaign have reached new heights in Advertising history on November entering the Guinness Book of World Records as the most viewed viral ads of all time.  Their antics have received 45, 166,109 hits since posting making them the most efficient viral campaign ever.

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These little critters, known as puggles when they are babies, are notoriously hard to breed, but the Perth Zoo in Australia has managed to successfully breed them three years in a row. The zoo thinks it’s now ready to start working on a reproduction program for their critically endangered cousins, the long-beaked echidna of New Guinea.

Link Images Via Lincoln Baker

Link Image Via Daily Mail

Her mammoth brood now comprises Patrick, 23, Stephen, 13, Malachai, 12, Peppermint, 11, Echo, 10, Eli, nine, Rogue, eight, Frodo, seven, Morpheus, five, Artemis, four, Blackbird, three, Baudelaire, two, and nine-month-old Voorhees.

No word yet on what number 14 will be named. Link -via I Am Bored

(image credit: Flickr user Mick 0)

This 11-month old baby isn’t even their youngest customer! The ad copy also says:

By the way, Mom, when it comes to toddlers- if they liked to be coaxed to drink their milk, try this: add 7-Up to the milk in equal parts, pouring the 7-Up gently into the milk. It’s a wholesome combination- and it works!

Click the picture at Kitchen Retro to see the full-size version of this and other vintage ads. Link -via J-Walk Blog

If you’ve have a formal event coming up and need some fancy duds for your high-class baby, consider this fine baby tuxedo available at Corduroy’s Closet on Etsy.

Link Via Craftzine Image Via Corduroy’s Closet

These data, reported by economists Kasey Buckles and Daniel Hungerman at the University of Notre Dame, may offer an explanation for the observation that, compared to “summer babies,” those born in winter months tend to do more poorly in school, are less healthy, earn less, and have shorter lifespans.

The mechanism behind these relationships, alternative explanations, and a long comment thread are available at the primary link.

Link, via Salon.

Etsy user Tiny Tangerine, aka Kelly Burghardt, knits these adorable baby hats. My favorite is the cow hat. Craftzine has a great interview with her or you can just click on the link and look at her great gallery of work.

Link Via Craftzine

One of the first traits that differentiated humans from our ancestors was upright gait. There are several hypotheses about the emergence of this trait, but it seems to have offered a way to move more efficiently in open environments such as the savanna. Although our earliest human ancestors were very apelike in terms of their brains, their upright gait had changed their pelvis to look much like our modern one. This reshaped pelvis came with a narrower birth canal, making childbirth more difficult.

Meanwhile the new roaming grounds afforded advantages in acquiring resources and negotiating social relationships to those with flexible, problem-solving behavior. Over time, natural selection increased brain size in these early humans. But at some point, the selection for bigger and bigger brains collided head-on, so to speak, with the narrow pelvis. If babies’ heads got any bigger, they would get stuck in the birth canal and kill both mother and child. Although natural selection worked to maximize what could be done—for instance, babies’ heads compress as they twist their way around the bones in the pelvis—there simply is not enough room for a big, mature brain to pass through.

Therefore, Bock explains, human baby brains continue to develop substantially after birth and it takes longer for them to learn how to walk.

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Image by flickr user BadrNaseem used under creative commons license

Craftster user UpKnitCreek created this Legend of Zelda-inspired Link outfit for a friend’s baby shower. For authenticity, she (he?) even put leather soles on the booties and wrapped the whole thing in a wooden chest that looks like one from the game. More pictures at the link.

Link via Crunch Gear

Fortunately, scientists have come up with a great way to increase your likelihood of getting your wallet back -put cute kids pictures in it. Adorable images of children trigger a person’s empathy and their “compassionate instinct towards vulnerable infants that people have evolved to ensure the survival of future generations.”

Wallets with a cute baby pic were sent back 90% of the time, whereas those with no images only had a one out of seven chance of reuniting with their previous owner.

Link Via Consumerist

How are babies made? Is it through a very complicated process, or through the baby-carrying stork? This video by Cassidy Curtis and Racquel Coelho just might be the answer.

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by pax.

They are so cute! Take a look at animal babies born in the ZSL (Zoological Society of London) zoos in London and Whipsnade. Guaranteed to make you smile!

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by 3oltan.

Keep watching to where he starts licking his little tiny hands. It’s fantasmical.

Link Via GiggleSugar

This little critter is just too cute. Just look at her sitting there with her teddy bear mama. The best part is how exciting her birth is -she’s one of only 17 of her species in captivity. More pics are available when you click the link.

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This cute kid pygmy goat is just one of many precious little pygmy animals in the collection of tiny animal videos. Also portrayed are little rabbits, seahorses, hippos and possums.

Link Via BoingBoing

I’ve seen a lot of cute baby critters in my time, but this is the first time I’ve seen a newborn aardvark. He’s so weird looking, he looks like Alf‘s hairless baby. If you live near the Detroit zoo, check out this “hideously cute” babe.

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Cute Things Falling Asleep is yet another adorable animal blog, this one exclusively posts videos of its namesake. I’ve gotta say, this one is even a bit too cute for me, but I couldn’t resist this adorable sloth video.

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Xylocopa addresses a serious deficiency in mad science education today:

Like many of you, we are concerned about the state of science education in the public school system, especially in the lower grades. Specifically, we have noticed that there is absolutely no training in the K-6 grades that prepares students to become mad scientists. In this competitive 21st-century world, the need for mad scientists will only increase, but the lack of basic education in primary school leaves us concerned that there will be no future students capable of leading in this illustrious field.

Fortunately, we have a solution – a first step, if you will, along the path to mad science proficiency. We are pleased to announce the release of our Young Mad Scientist’s First Alphabet Blocks. These lovely blocks contain many carefully engraved illustrations of the equipment, training, and activities that a budding mad scientist will require, combined with a clever alphabetic introduction to the concept depicted.

T is for Tentacles, O is for Organs, H is for Henchmen.

Link via Popped Culture

Zooborns is a fantastic new niche blog, one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. It’s all about little baby critters born at the zoos across the world. If you love animals as much as I do, it’s a must see!

Link Via MentalFloss