Behold, the olinguito—a relative newcomer to the world of discovered species, but will doubtless prove to be a natural when it comes to winning hearts because just look at this little guy. His little nose. His gold-dappled fuzzy hair. His inquisitive, yet welcoming eyes. There’s not a single tuft or whisker on him that doesn’t scream “new best friend.”
The Smithsonian has actually had their eyes on the olinguito for ten years now, but has finally stopped being so selfish and decided to share the little fuzzball with the rest of us. Smithsonian’s curator of mammals (sure) Kristofer Helgen described the olinguito as being “kind of like a cross between a teddy bear and a house cat.” A teddy bear and a house cat. Somebody call the adorable hospital and tell them we’ve got a code red. Sadly, these winsome little dudes are native to Columbia and Ecuador, so if you want to see one in the wild, you’ll have to take a trip.
