Wild animals who are about to give birth try to find a safe and secure place to deliver their offspring, where neither humans nor other critters can harm them while they're at their most vulnerable.

But sometimes that search for safety lands them in a heap of trouble, or transports them to a faraway place.

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A raccoon mom desperate to find a safe place to deliver her cubs smuggled herself on board a moving truck which had recently been burglarized and proceeded to give birth.

Unfortunately, the guy driving the truck was moving from Fort Myers, Florida to Marin County, California, so she and her cubs were stuck in the back of the truck for eleven days without food or water.

When the driver discovered those cute little stowaways they were near death, so he turned them over to the wildlife hospital WildCare for treatment.

WildCare was able to nurse the raccoon family back to health, and the Oakland Zoo was willing to take them in and give them a new home.

-Via SFGate

Generally speaking, marine animals don't like to be touched but that's not always the case. In fact, professional diver Rick Anderson has a close friendship with a Port Jackson shark that constantly seeks out his pets and belly scratches.

It all started when he started trying to show his diving students how friendly sharks can be by playing with one freshly hatched shark. From that point on, whenever Anderson dived in those waters, the shark would find him and seek cuddles and scratches. This has gone on for seven years, "it got to the point that if I didn’t notice her, she would come out and tap me on the legs until I held out my arms for a cuddle, often to the amazement of my students," he says.

Of course Rick encourages other divers to be respectful of wild animals,"they’ll let you know if they don’t want to be handled," he says, adding, "If you touch some of them, you can also wipe off their protective layers of skin." So please, don't go running around trying to pet under water animals just because this shark is adorable.

You can read more about the shark and Rick and see more pictures on Buzzfeed.

Tourists who visit the wild parts of Florida hear rumors they may see wild animals up close and personal during their visit, and yet they're still shocked when the rumors turn out to be true.

But I'm pretty sure most native Floridians would still flip out if they saw a twelve foot long alligator walking by just a few feet away.

Kim Joiner and Sean and Kristi Buckley were visiting the Circle B Park in Lakeland, Florida when a giant gator named Humpback strolled by like he's no big deal, giving Kim and the Buckleys a chance to play gator paparazzi.

And just like that Humpback was gone back to wherever 12-foot-long alligators spend their days, but not before Kim could shoot this video footage of his casual stroll.

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-Via My Modern Met

Elephants may be jumbo-sized, but they're still quite emotionally sensitive. So the elephants rescued from abuse who live at the Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Center rely on the compassion and love of their caretakers. 

Unfortuantely, as much as the voluteers at the center love their charges, they can't hug their whole bodies all day long to keep them warm during a surprising cold spell in India. So instead, the volunteers are working to knit the elephants jumbo-sized sweaters to keep them cozy and warm during the freezing winter weather.

Each sweater takes about four weeks to make, but that's a small price to pay when it means keeping rescued elephants happy and healthy.

Via The Dodo

Just in time for the inauguration, scientists have named the first ever animal after Donald Trump. A few species were named after Obama during his term and now it's Trump's turn. Of course, there is always a reason behind naming a new species after someone and in this case, it's the moth's strange, scaly forehead that bears resemblance to its namesake's yellow helmet of hair. The moth also has a strangely curved penis, but there's no word on if that went into the naming decision or not. 

Those who wish to see the N. donaldtrumpi in person will have to visit California or Baja Mexico, where they are presumably scoping out land to build a great wall.

Via Gizmodo

Sinbad the cat is a Persian kitty that belonged to an elderly man in Chicago. Unfortunately, as her owner got older, his mental health declined and the kitty's thick, long hair started matting as he neglected to brush her. When a city worker came to do some repairs and maintenance on the man's home, he noticed the cat's poor condition and called the The Anti-Cruelty Society, who sent an investigation team to check on the kitty. When the team arrived, they asked the man if he would be willing to give up Sinbad and he agreed. 

At the shelter, vets bathed the cat and gave him two rounds of hair cuts -shedding over five pounds of hair from the cat. After he started to look better, shelter employee Elliot Serrano took Sinbad home over the holidays and ended up falling in love with the recovered and loving kitty. Serrano has since adopted Sinbad and the recovering cat is happy to live in a happy home.

You can keep up with Sinbad's exploits on his Facebook and Instagram.

Via InventorSpot

That one scene we all remember so well from The Empire Strikes Back is now available with an all-cat cast! Pasdidée set up the frame and then had to be very patient for his two cats to get their parts right. Here the human version and cat version are shown side-by-side, or rather, top and bottom, as it were.

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In fact, they may have even switched roles in the middle, but it's hard to tell. Even for the director.   -via reddit

No.... not that kind of wiener you pervert.

These wieners are so great, you won't be able to look the other way. In fact, you might just fall in love.

You may never have seen weenies like these and you'll be glad you looked.

So head over to Buzzfeed, where you can see 19 wonderful weenies that will melt your heart. 

All those cute videos people post online make rabbits look like really fun pets, because they're playful, silly and affectionate, not to mention super cute and fairly easy to care for.

However, I've owned three rabbits at different points in my life and this has not been my experience, because all three bunnies were bitey, skittish and wanted nothing to do with humans. 

I'd given up on being a bunny daddy before I saw this video posted by Foinz showing their bunny Simba playing Jenga like a little champ, and now I need all the bunnies!

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-Via Laughing Squid

Idaho resident Nelson Wilson has a heated water tank for his horses that birds like to drink from during the winter. Unfortunately, this little sparrow got his feet wet and then decided to take a break on the metal fence, leaving him stuck with nowhere to go. 

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While the bird was scared of Nelson as he approached, he seems to have accepted that the man was trying to help him by the end. A little warm breath and some patience were ultimately all it took to save the little guy.

Via Some ecards

A convenience store in Toronto noticed their were having quite a few chocolate bars going missing. When they figured out who was taking the chocolates, the family who runs the store had quite the charming surprise.

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Over the years a local band of squirrels stole dozens of chocolate bars from the shop. As it turns out, the family itself may be to blame -years ago they started feeding the birds outside the shop and the excess food may have lured the squirrels into the area. Once the free food was gone, the squirrels thought there still must be some free snacks somewhere.

Via The Dodo

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Jesse took his cat Weston up a mountain so they could sled down together. You might think that's a crazy idea, but Weston seemed more calm than Jesse was on the downhill. How would your cat react?  -via reddit

If you look really hard at the screenshot above, you will see the proverbial polar bear in a snowstorm. The Oregon Zoo in Portland was closed to the public yesterday (and today) due to deep snow. But zookeepers let us take a peek anyway, by recording some video of the animals playing outside.

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Some critters stayed in their dens, while polar bears, otters, seals, and even elephants had to explore and frolic in the snow.  -via reddit

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The Expanse is largely considered one of the most scientifically accurate science fiction shows ever. That being said, the recap version enacted by cats may not be quite as accurate -but it is the most adorable science fiction show ever (or at least a recap of one).

Warning for those who might want to check out the show at someone but haven't yet watched season one: there are quite a few spoilers here.

Via Laughing Squid

(Image credit: Nazario Graziano)

Bacon, Champagne, and 3-D movies? Why one Texas man thinks he’s uncovered an unlikely formula for feline longevity.

Jake Perry is a cat man. Standing about 5-foot-7 and often clad in workman’s clothes, the 85-year-old Austin, Texas, plumber is also a father and husband. But anyone who’s met Perry will tell you—first and foremost, he’s a cat man.

Perry’s cats broke the Guinness World Record for oldest cat. Twice, actually: The first record, from 1998, was for a part Sphynx, part Devon Rex named Granpa Rexs Allen who made it to age 34; the second, from 2005, is for a mixed tabby named Creme Puff who lived to age 38. Since the 1980s, Perry has adopted and re-homed 
hundreds of cats, at his peak raising four dozen at once, showcasing the best and brightest in cat shows. According to Perry, it’s not just Granpa and Creme Puff who 
had unusually long lives: About a third of his cats, he says, lived to be at least 30 years old—about twice the average feline life span. Over the years, Perry has been equally celebrated and psychologically analyzed for his extreme dedication to his pets. Now, toward the end of his own life, he believes he’s discovered the secret to feline longevity.

I first met Perry on a hot summer day in July 2012, when he showed up at my apartment to fix a leaky bathtub. He was strangely magnetic, with a slow Texas drawl, compulsive politeness, and a face that lit up when he saw the apartment’s resident pet—this was not your typical plumber. That day, Perry told me about his own cats, and what he believed were the keys to their unbelievably long lives.