a federally threatened koala with her offspring, one of which is adopted
opossum
A King quail, Coturnix chinensis, also known as Chinese painted quail.
endangered Francois' langurs, Trachypithecus francoisi
endangered Sumatran tiger, Panthera tigris sumatrae, and her cub
mother and calf pygmy hippopotamus, Choeropsis liberiensis, at the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo
kangaroo rat
gibbon
kangaroo
a mother and son jaguar, Panthera onca, at the Brevard Zoo.
an endangered baby Bornean orangutan
1 of 12
Babies on BoardWhen koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) are born, they spend the first six months in their mother’s pouch. After that, they cling to her stomach or back—everywhere she goes.
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

For Mother’s Day, 12 Too Cute Pictures of Animal Moms

Enjoy these adorable pictures of mothers and their babes.

ByBecky Little
May 07, 2016

To celebrate Mother’s Day in the U.S. this Sunday, we’ve collected incredible pictures of animal moms with their offspring. All of them come from Photo Ark—photographer Joel Sartore's project to document the world's captive species. (Find out which Photo Ark animal is most like you.)

So far, Sartore has visited 40 countries and photographed more than 6,000 species with the studio lighting and black-and-white backgrounds that give the collection its iconic look. Photo Ark aims to inspire people not just to care about the natural world, but also to help protect these animals for future generations.

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