Hello! This is your semi-regularly-scheduled reminder that baby elephants are really freaking adorable!
Maybe it’s related to the fact that humans tend to find “mini” versions of animals particularly cute and that the larger the size difference, the cuter said mini thing is. We could call that the First Rule of Cuteness.
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With elephants the difference in scale between full-size and fun-size is very wide, so they meet that rule easily.
While they tend to break the Second Rule of Cuteness — the larger the eyes, the cuter it is — that’s made up for with the trunk, I think.
The eyes are usually a window into personality, but it’s hard to argue against the fact that a baby elephant’s trunk is bringing tons of attitude to the party.
The Third Rule of Cute is that they’re smarter than we realize, but not as smart they think they are.
(Yeah, I’m making these up as I go, but I’m liking this new cuteness thesis I’m building.)
Which is probably why so many people couldn’t help but laugh and “d’aww!” at this viral photo of a baby elephant trying to hide and failing delightfully.
The photo was taken in Chiang Mai, Thailand by people driving passed sugarcane fields at night.
As they passed by, a little elephant slipped behind a post and stood absolutely still, as though the skinny pole was enough to shield their 200-pound, three-foot-tall body.
Of course, there’s no way to know exactly what the baby was thinking in the moment.
But if you’ve ever played Hide-and-Seek with a three-year-old who hasn’t yet mastered spacial awareness, then you totally recognize this kind of stealth fail.
