Canadians are kind of like that cousin you get to see at Christmas and at your uncle Tom’s Easter lunch every second year – kind of cool, kind of quiet, and kind of like yourself too!
True, Canadians do outnumber us in terms of population (35-million vs 23-million), and they have produced more world-class comedians than us (so far) – think Jim Carey, Mike Myers, Seth Rogan, Russell Peters.
But when it comes down to the cuteness of our respective animals, well, I think we’re fairly evenly matched.
Don’t believe us? Then check out this assorted line up of five furry critters from differing sides of the Pacific Ocean.
To make it a little interesting, we’ve given each little animal a score on a scale between 1 and 10 on our cute-o-meter, and we encourage you to do the same.
But before we begin, just remember: there’s to be no hard feelings at the end, whatever your score.
After all, us Aussies and Canadians are kind of like cousins, remember, and you better be nice to your cousin if you want a place to stay when you go over to visit…
Which you should probably do like right NOW!
Air Canada will launch a new direct Dreamliner service ex Brisbane to Vancouver on 3 June. The airline has also just upgraded the B777 aircraft used on its daily non-stop Sydney-Vancouver service to include its first Premium Economy cabin, along with its newest International Business Class product.
So anyway, without further ado, let’s dive right into the cuteness.
Prepare your “awwww” face.
Canadian snow weasel
Recommended cute-o-meter score: 9
Also known as the least weasels, these furry little friends are the smallest carnivores in Canada and are found all throughout the country – from interior British Columbia to northern Ontario and Québec.
And small they are, sizing in between 16.5 and 24cm long and weighing in at between 35 and 250g.
Did someone say awwwwww?!
Australian kangaroo (joey)
Recommended cute-o-meter score: 8
Kangaroos are the largest marsupial surviving on Earth today.
They can grow up to a staggering two-metres tall and weigh over 90kg. But when they’re young, they’re as cute as a button – don’t you think?
Contrary to popular belief, kangaroos are not just native to Australia – they’re also native to New Guinea due to Australia being connected to the island as recently as 10,000 years ago.
Interestingly, female kangaroos can determine the sex of their offspring. They can even delay gestation when environmental factors are likely to diminish the chance of young surviving.
Canadian lynx
Recommended cute-o-meter score: 7
The Canadian lynx is a North American member of the cat family. They can grow up to a height of 56cm and a length of 110cm when fully formed.
Their chief characteristics include long ear tufts and a short, bobbed tail with a completely black tip.
Australian quokka
Recommended cute-o-meter score: 9
As one of the smallest wallaby species in Australia, quokkas are quick, nimble, and oh so cute.
The quokka weighs between two and five kilograms, and is between 65 to 85cm long including its tail.
Although we don’t know for sure, we think these little guys are still a little upset about being mistaken for giant rats when Dutch sailors first laid eyes on them in 1696, calling the island where they found them “Rotte nest” (meaning “rat nest” in 17th century Dutch).
They still live on Rottnest Island today.
Canadian baby moose
Recommended cute-o-meter score: 9
Okay, this may be cheating – a little (what baby animal isn’t cute?)
But we can’t talk about cute Canadian creatures without plugging the baby moose.
FYI: A male moose is called a bull, a female moose is called a cow, and a young moose is called a calf.
But wait a minute – not all animals are cute
Boy, ain’t that right.
Don’t forget that the world ain’t just all rainbows and sunshine, especially in Canada and Australia.
Here are two scary looking (and mean) animals that you’ll want to stay clear of the next time you’re in Canada or back here at home.
Wolverines are strong, muscular, and ferocious animals capable of killing prey many times larger than itself.
They are solitary animals and are found all throughout Canada.
Adult wolverines grow to about the size of a medium dog, and can weigh up to 32kg.
And definitely stay away from these guys at all costs.
Crocodiles, which first appeared 240 million years ago, can live up to 80 years, and are some of most dangerous animals on the planet.
Interestingly, crocodiles, alligators and the gharial belong to separate biological families, even though they look similar to the untrained eye.
Have these cute little Canadian critters tugged at your heart strings yet?
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