If there’s one thing I know, it’s that dogs are precious, beautiful babies that must be protected and cherished at all costs.
From their doting button eyes to their big dopey grins, there is so much about the doggy physique that makes them so damn pattable.
And perhaps one of the sweetest parts of your fluffy best friend is their little paddy paws. Perfect for jumping up at you when you come home after a long, rubbish day.
Best of all, keen canine observers have noticed a striking resemblance between doggy paws and what is arguably the cutest animal on the face of the planet: the koala bear.
Clocked by a Twitter user who tweets under the handle @41Strange, a stunning selection of paddy paws have gone viral on account of their uncanny resemblance to the lovable Aussie critter.
Once you notice the similarities, you can’t unsee them. The largest pad resembles the face of a koala, complete with their signature round ears. Meanwhile, the other four pads look very much like their tree-hugging paws.
In short, just when I thought I couldn’t be more of a dog person, I have managed to find untapped supplies of love and respect for dogs within myself. And I’m not the only one to be left utterly awestruck by this dawning realisation.
One mystified person swooned:
Dogs paws have tiny koalas. Who knew?!
Another animal lover said:
Ours looks like a koala teddy wrapped in fluff!
Others have noted strong resemblances to ewoks, teddy bears and even Baby Simba from The Lion King.
Interestingly – as pointed out by Twitter user @MJ_Scroggsie – koala paws looks nothing like dog paws, and are actually rather fearsome looking.
According to the Australian Koala Foundation:
The Koala’s paws are specially adapted for gripping and climbing. Rough pads on the palms and soles help it to grip tree trunks and branches, and both front and hind paws have long sharp claws.
Each paw has five digits; on the front paw, two digits are opposed to the other three–rather like a human’s thumb–so they are both able to be moved in opposition to the other three.
This allows the Koala to grip more securely. Distinctive parallel Koala scratch marks on tree trunks are due to this particular characteristic.
On the hind paw, there is no claw on the biggest digit, which is opposable to the others for gripping. The second and third digits are fused together to form a double-clawed digit which is used for grooming purposes, such as for removing ticks.
Be right back, I just need to go home and stroke every single one of my dog’s paws.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.