Meet Nigel The 'Coendou' – The Cutest Animal You've Never Seen (Pics & Video)

Cuteness comes in all shapes, sizes, and...textures? Yep! Even prickly critters can tip the charts on the sweetness scale, and Nigel is no exception. This cool dude is one of Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium's most unusual species, a coendou, which falls under the porcupine family. They're sometimes called prehensile-tailed porcupines because of their tail's ability to grasp objects, and if that's not cool, we don't know what is.

Even though quills are everywhere in Nigel's body, his charm evokes the desire to hold and pet him of everybody watching him. Naturally, he just knows how to dominate hearts. On the one hand, he loves to be fondled so much that he drops his snack while being caressed. On the other hand, he seems to be quiet and not fond of a crowd.