---
title: "Why Can Ugly Animals Look Cute? What Research Says"
description: "Learn why an unusual animal can also look cute, what baby-schema studies actually tested and where familiarity changes our response."
canonical: "https://uglyanimals.net/science/why-ugly-animals-look-cute/"
locale: "en"
content_type: "editorial_guide"
primary_entity: "Why can an ugly animal also look cute?"
---

# Why can an ugly animal also look cute?

Because 'ugly' and 'cute' are reactions, not fixed properties of a species. Large eyes, rounded shapes, expression, familiarity and the story behind a face can all shift the way a person sees it.

A round body and compact face can invite affection even when someone else reads the same frog as grumpy.

## Infant-like features can draw attention

Researchers use 'baby schema' for a set of infant-like facial features such as relatively large eyes and a rounder face. An experiment with photographs of humans, dogs and cats found that stronger versions of those features affected children's cuteness ratings and where they looked. This supports a role for facial proportions, but it does not prove that every animal with a round body is universally cute.

A later review notes that the concept is used in different ways and that broad claims across species have limited evidence. We can use it to explain a possible response, not to diagnose a viewer or assign a biological purpose to a wild animal's face.

Evidence: [Frontiers in Psychology](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4019884/); [Biological Reviews](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38889779/)

## Knowledge can change the reaction

A blobfish pulled from the deep sea may first appear comical. Once the viewer understands how capture changes a soft body, the same image can evoke sympathy and curiosity. The star-nosed mole's nose can seem unsettling until its speed and sensitivity are explained.

Humour and affection can coexist with an odd first impression. Online captions often turn a frown into a personality, but an animal's facial shape should not be read as a human emotion without behavioural evidence.

Evidence: [Australian Museum](https://australian.museum/learn/animals/fishes/fathead-psychrolutes-aka-mr-blobby/)

## There is no universal cute-or-ugly scale

People differ in experience and taste. A frog that looks adorable to one person may look alarming to another. Age, image angle and the animal's behaviour change the impression too. A species' value and conservation need do not depend on either verdict.

If an unusual face makes you look twice, follow the curiosity: identify the species, learn its habitat and ask what its visible traits actually do.

## Continue exploring

- [Black rain frog](https://uglyanimals.net/animals/black-rain-frog/): A compact burrower whose expression has attracted human attention.
- [Blobfish](https://uglyanimals.net/animals/blobfish/): A famous face whose context is often missing.
- [Why animals look ugly](https://uglyanimals.net/science/why-animals-look-ugly/): Explore the first impression and the biology behind it.

## Sources and further reading

- [Frontiers in Psychology: Baby schema in human and animal faces induces cuteness perception and gaze allocation in children](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4019884/)
- [Biological Reviews: Lorenz's classic 'baby schema': a useful biological concept?](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38889779/)
- [Australian Museum: Blobfish, also known as Mr Blobby](https://australian.museum/learn/animals/fishes/fathead-psychrolutes-aka-mr-blobby/)