Hundreds of people stood in line at the open zoo in Thailand. Everyone was here for one reason: to meet Moo Deng, the baby pygmyUsed in names to describe animals and plants that are much smaller than more typical kinds. hippopotamus and social media sensation.

Her name, chosen by a public vote, translates as "bouncy pig". She has already inspired a makeup look and a cake.

Moo Deng joins a long line of animals to go viral on the internet, cute creatures from pocket-sized baby sloths to micropigs. The RedditAn American social news and discussion website. It has 1.66 billion monthly users worldwide. channel r/aww, devoted to pictures and videos of adorable furry animals, has almost 37 million followers.

Our love for cute critters in older than the internet. The Ancient Egyptians and Greeks made stuffed animals for use as ritualSomething that is done the same way every time. Rituals are often religious. objects and toys. 

The early 20th Century saw the start of our modern idea of cuteness. Books like The Wind in the Willows and Walt Disney's cartoons made us fall in love with animals who walk and talk like humans. 

In 1943 Austrian biologist Konrad Lorenz put forward the "baby schema" idea, that tiny humans and other animals look helpless and are therefore very appealing.

Others think cuteness is more complex. Different people find it in different places.

Is there a science to cuteness?

Yes! All our behaviour is determined by biology and genetics. We see big eyes and soft cheeks and immediately feel protective.

No! Cuteness defies logic. Cats torture and kill birds and mice, but humans worship their cuteness.