Nigel the 'Coendou' Might Be the Cutest Animal Some Have Probably Never Seen
We just want to boop that nose!
Cuteness comes in all shapes, sizes, and...textures? Yep! Even prickly critters can tip the charts on the sweetness scale, and Nigel is no exception. This cool dude is one of Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium's most unusual species, a coendou, which falls under the porcupine family. They're sometimes called prehensile-tailed porcupines because of their tail's ability to grasp objects, and if that's not cool, we don't know what is.
His sharp quills might be a defense against predators, but if you're anything like us, you'd risk a prick to meet this lil' guy. His nose is just so boop-able!
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What a cutie pie! We love Nigel's buck teeth and grabby little fingers, but his gigantic nose is our absolute favorite. And we aren't the only ones who think so!
"I just want to hold him .. it’s cuteness overload that nose 💕," wrote @kittymom23. Right? We'll risk the quills if it means getting a little closer to this sweet guy. Just like @crystalburge1 said, "Omg i need to boop his nose 🥺." It looks so soft and squishy! The rest of him, though? Probably not so soft.
Clearly, his tail isn't the only prehensile limb that he has--he holds onto his snack just like a person does. And those curly toes? He sure knows how to melt hearts.
"What a precious baby," @pitbullmama commented. "So cute🥰." We couldn't have summed it up better ourselves if we tried, but we do have one more surprise for you...Nigel isn't a baby at all! When @ambernicole asked how old the coendou is, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium replied, "Nigel is 10!" You weren't expecting that, were you?
With his utter cuteness, his age, and his boop-worthy nose, Nigel is just full of surprises!
