Wild Babies: Photographs of Baby Animals from Giraffes to Hummingbirds

By Traer Scott

“Baby animals in all their glory,” an award winning photographer “strives to educate her readers while winning their hearts with her photography” (The Boston Globe).

Bestselling author and photographer Traer Scott captures the magic and wonder of a young animal's first weeks of life in this heartwarming collection of photographs. Featuring portraits of more than thirty baby animals, Wild Babies provides a glimpse into the rarely seen world of newborn creatures. From rambunctious little kangaroos and fluffy fox cubs to a wide-eyed elephant seal pup and a tiny painted turtle, these playful images are paired with engaging text that highlights the remarkable moments in wild infants' first days as they learn to eat, walk, swim, and fly. Animal lovers will delight in these close-up shots and fun trivia celebrating the unique personalities of irresistibly cute creatures navigating their way out into the world for the very first time.
 
“We dare you not to smile while looking at these baby balls of fluff and feathers.” —Readers Digest
 
“Is there anything sweeter than an infant opossum with soft gray fur, translucent pink nose and shining onyx eyes? If so, it’s probably in Traer Scott’s portrait-photographs for Wild Babies, a book that softens the heart so swiftly that it’s hard to get through two pages without murmuring ‘aww!’” —The Wall Street Journal
 
“Animal lovers, prepare yourselves to be absolutely smitten with these close-up photos of baby animals as they navigate the wondrous first weeks of their lives. . . . [A]n encyclopedic breadth of the baby animal kingdom.” —My Modern Met

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Aug 2, 2016
• ISBN: 9781452141077

Traer Scott

Traer Scott is an award-winning photographer and bestselling author of 14 books, specializing in animal photography, the human/animal bond and conservation-themed fine art photography. Scott’s work has been exhibited around the world and has appeared in National Geographic, Time, La Monde, Life, Der Stern, The New York Times LensBlog, and dozens of other national and international publications. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

Book preview

A FRAGILE TIME OF LIFE

The animals in this book are cute. There’s no denying it. Perhaps you’ve never thought of a baby opossum or infant weasel as being adorable, but as you turn the pages of this book, you most likely will. Why do we find baby animals of other species so compelling? Why do these images of wild babies make us feel warm and nurturing?

The answer is that we just can’t help it. As humans, we are biologically programmed to feel a need to care for our helpless offspring, which necessarily translates to us finding human infants appealing. Studies show that people feel a range of positive emotions when exposed to photos of human babies. They feel gentler and less angry, and are often flooded with a sudden need to protect and nurture the baby they see. This biological instinct is why we are able to withstand the mental and physical marathon of parenthood, but studies also show that we have the same reaction to baby animals of other species, particularly mammals.

Most baby mammals share many of the same physical characteristics of human babies: large eyes, round faces, small noses, recessed chins, and plump little bodies. Some animals, like elephants and baby chicks that do not conform to the physical type, still trigger our nurture impulse through their baby-like behaviors: lack of balance, clumsiness, and a physical closeness to Mom. However, the same mouse or opossum or raccoon that we find utterly irresistible in infancy may suddenly seem unappealing or even threatening when the baby-like features give way to adult characteristics and behavior. We may find ourselves afraid of them, repulsed by them, or even feeling aggressive towards them.

I was first introduced to the world of wild animal babies during a friend’s late summer wedding. It was the first outing I had been able to manage since having my daughter. We dressed our little infant in her first fancy frock, and spent the evening fretting about her being too cold or too hungry or too tired. A few minutes after the reception began, we decided it was time to leave, and