Nashville Zoo has been busier than usual with several new zoo babies joining their growing family. Playful caracal and clouded leopard cubs, a spider monkey and even a tiny king vulture have all recently arrived with the collective goal of melting our hearts into oblivion. But there was one pint-sized pup with a perpetual grin and bright-blue eyes the size of shooter marbles that won us over this year. The spotted fanaloka — also known as a Malagasy or striped civet — is a lesser-known mammal native to Madagascar whose appearance lands somewhere between the frame of a ferret and the coat of a leopard. And Nashville Zoo’s newest fanaloka is more than just our current obsession — he is also the very first of his species to ever be born in the United States. This precious pup and his parents are not currently available for public viewing, but there are plenty of adorable pictures and videos online to hold us over until we can all meet face to tiny face.
