+
Sign up for
The Upworthiest
Our top stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.
Most Shared

This tongue-in-cheek hashtag is spreading knowledge and delight on social media.

Every once in a while, a hashtag comes along that is so pure and delightful, you wonder how you survived on the internet without it.

#RateASpecies is that hashtag.

It's a tongue-in-cheek hashtag that zoos, aquariums, and wildlife centers have been using to write humorous Amazon-style "reviews" of different animals. It's a silly, carefree way to learn real facts about the amazing creatures around us.

And in the vein of Dog Rates, every animal receives four stars because every animal is pretty much perfect. Trust and believe — this is koala-ty content.

Here are some of the animals coming out on top, including a few endangered, vulnerable, and otherwise surprising species.

1. Am I the last person to learn of tree kangaroos? And, if so, why didn't any of you tell me about these delightful but vulnerable creatures?

2. The tree kangaroo is not to be confused with this cuddly cutie: the red panda.

Bonus points to Minnesota Zoo for the excellent wordplay.

3. If you give a hoot about owls (and you should), consider doing something about light pollution.

4. This big cat is a gentle giant most of the day. I'm not lion.

5. Don't be alarmed. This is a mola mola, not a swimming nightmare come to life.

And if you stare long enough, it's actually kind of cute.

6. Because even creepy-crawlies deserve love. Four stars (and four terrifying screams) for your local scorpion.

7. If super floofs are more your scene, look no further than the snow leopard.

8. Or better yet, this seafaring floof: the penguin.

9. If you need something that hauls, climbs, and rests like no other, maybe a bear is more your speed.

10. This well-dressed epaulette shark has a unique look that can go from day to night.

And from water to land. Seriously!

11. I don't know how this made the list. This list is for animals — not very happy plant life!

12. Now jellyfish. This is more like it. Did you know they're 95% water?

13. Finally, an animal that's Instagram ready.

14. "Bats off" to these late-night party animals.

I'm so sorry about that attempt at wordplay. I will never be the Minnesota Zoo, and I recognize that now.

15. Nothing but respect for my predator.

Even after some ice cold seals left a pretty damning review.

16. Have you ever seen an unhappy bonobo? Probably not. And you probably never will.

17. Ain't no party like a lake sturgeon party cuz a lake sturgeon party has been going on for 150 million years.

Did your favorite fauna not make the cut? Join the party, and rate it yourself.

Because every now and then, it's possible to find pure, unadulterated delight on the internet. And if you can learn a few things along the way, it's as close to a four-star experience as you can get.

Joy

Sorry, Labradors. After 31 years, America has a new favorite dog.

The American Kennel Club has crowned a new favorite.

via Pixabay

A sad-looking Labrador Retriever

The sweet-faced, loveable Labrador Retriever is no longer America’s favorite dog breed. The breed best known for having a heart of gold has been replaced by the smaller, more urban-friendly French Bulldog.

According to the American Kennel Club, for the past 31 years, the Labrador Retriever was America’s favorite dog, but it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Frenchie. The rankings are based on nearly 716,500 dogs newly registered in 2022, of which about 1 in 7 were Frenchies. Around 108,000 French Bulldogs were recorded in the U.S. in 2022, surpassing Labrador Retrievers by over 21,000.

Keep ReadingShow less
dogs
Family

Pediatrician shares two simple tips that could save a child's life at a pool party

"The more folks present, the safer the pool is, right? Wrong."

Photo by Ash Dowie on Unsplash

If there's a body of water anywhere, a designated adult needs to have their eyes on it.

It's that time of year when the weather across the country is warm enough for families to enjoy outdoor barbecues, picnics and pool parties. That means it's also the time of year when tragedy will strike a certain percentage of families who get blindsided by how quickly and easily a child can drown in a backyard pool, even when they're surrounded by people who care about them and their safety.

We've all been at a gathering where adults are coming and going, chatting, setting up food, taking trips to the bathroom, all while kids are busy playing in the water. In such scenarios, it's easy to assume that someone else is keeping an eye on the pool.

But as pediatrician Diane Arnaout has shared, the harrowing reality is that the more people there are at a pool party the more likely it is that a child could slip into the pool or become distressed in the water without anyone noticing.

In a Facebook post that has been shared more than 77,000 times, Dr. Arnaout wrote:

Keep ReadingShow less
pool safety
Pop Culture

Crying fan embraced by Drew Barrymore explains why the moment was 'super special'

"Like myself, Drew has had a super hard life," she said.

via Eva Rinaldi/Flickr

Drew Barrymore speaks during the FLOWER Beauty launch at Westfield Parramatta on April 13, 2019, in Sydney, Australia.

Drew Barrymore, 48, has been in the public consciousness since she starred as Gertie in 1982’s mega-blockbuster, “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” a performance that earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. So, it makes sense that many people of a certain age feel as if they’ve grown up with her.

Now, she’s an even more significant part of people’s lives as the host of “The Drew Barrymore Show,” which runs every weekday on CBS.

On May 25, the show’s Instagram page posted a touching video of an off-the-cuff moment between Barrymore and a fan during a taping of her show. In the clip, Barrymore realizes that someone in the audience is crying. So, instead of ignoring the fan, she jumps to action to see what is the matter.

Keep ReadingShow less
drew barrymore
Pop Culture

Musician uses traditional Chinese instrument to create hypnotic cover of 'Hotel California'

There are literally hundreds of covers of this song floating around on the internet, but this one has its own unique flair.

Moyun/Youtube

Moyun peforms "Hotel California" on the guzheng.

The Eagles' hit song, “Hotel California,” has been covered countless times over the years by a variety of artists, including the likes of Nancy Sinatra, the Gypsy Kings and that guy at your local karaoke spot.

And while every rendition gives the song a fresh dynamic, one musician with a penchant for mystery has transformed the rock n’ roll staple into something entirely new.

Using a traditional Chinese string instrument called a guzheng, Moyun plays the song focusing mostly on its two guitar solo arrangements, creating a sound that has all the otherworldly beauty of an ancient folk tale.
Keep ReadingShow less
music
Pop Culture

Man rewatches shows from his childhood and his recaps of the bonkers storylines are priceless

Rob Anderson's hilarious recaps of shows like "Mighty Ducks," "Beethoven," and "7th Heaven" might make you wonder how they got made in the first place.

@hearthrobert/TikTok

These plots makes zero sense.

While there are no doubt some timeless classics from our childhood that remain every bit as amazing as we remember, many are straight-up cringey upon a later viewing. Really, it’s to be expected as societal viewpoints change…sort of a marker of how far we’ve collectively come.

And so, what do we do with these problematic pieces of old-school pop culture? Well, we can certainly update them to better reflect a more modern attitude, but that also comes with a set of potential problems. Or we could simply never watch them again. Certainly an option given all the content out there. But then we might miss an opportunity to better understand what seemed to work for the mainstream then, and why it doesn’t work now.

And then there’s the third option—allow ourselves to be entertained by their cringiness.

That’s certainly the route taken by Rob Anderson. Over on TikTok, Anderson has taken ultra-popular movies and television shows from his childhood and given them hilarious recaps capturing how absurd some of the storylines are.
Keep ReadingShow less
movies
Joy

Woman decides that she is the love of her life and marries herself at her retirement home

“I said, you know what, I’ve done everything else. Why not?”

KCEN|YouTube

77-year-old woman decides she's the love of her life and marries herself.

We joke about marrying ourselves or a platonic friend if some arbitrary amount of time has passed without a proposal from an imaginary suitor. And sure, some people do wind up marrying a friend in more of a business arrangement, but it's not very common that someone follows through with marrying themselves.

Dorothy "Dottie" Fideli, decided that she was going to break the mold. The 77-year-old sat down and thought about all of the things she had done in life and who was with her the entire time cheering her on. It was an easy answer: herself. She was her biggest cheerleader, the person who always showed up and the love of her life, so Fideli made the plan to marry herself.

On a beautiful May day, friends and family gathered in the O’Bannon Terrace Retirement Community, where Fideli is a resident, to witness the ceremony.

Keep ReadingShow less
love
Trending Stories