Cutes like a knife!

Fish. For most people, they don't inspire the squeals of appreciation that newborn kittens do.

I am not one of those people.

Same goes for squid and lizards and even faceless tiny ants. So cute, it hurts.

While leaving the snorkel site called Front Porch, I stopped to look in the shallow tide pools formed at the edge of the water where the rocks and sand go from wet to dry. In the tiniest crevices were fully formed juvenile Sergeant Major fish. Normally these guys are yellow and black little fatties that hang out under the boats moored at the dropoff of the reef. The babies were the size of my pinkie fingernail in thimble-sized puddles of sea water. SQUEE! I was so lucky to even notice them but of course I dropped to my knees and gawked at them and their tiny whelk-snail friends.

Other spots for a for potential cuteness attacks are the floating ropes in the water. These ropes are used by boaters to tether their craft. They quickly become covered in algae and coral providing a safe haven for the little guys washed out from the beaches. Don't ignore these on your travels. Have a close look at the critters making their home there. I saw some of the tiniest puffer fish sitting on the ropes. They weren't even swimming, they were just having a rest being very adorable in their laziness. As always, look but don't touch! The red coral that tends to coat the rope is a bit stingy, er, by that I don't mean parsimonious, I mean venomous.

There was also a Very Brady Squidmas. Under a red floating buoy marked [sic] PRIVAT five happy little squid looked back at me with their shiny silver eyes. They looked like the kids from the Brady bunch because they ranged in size from tiny Cindy (around the size of my thumb) to grown-up Greg (around 7 inches) but it looked like someone finally committed that whacked-out Jan squid.

But what about the lizards? I am glad that you asked! The lizards are ubiquitous to Bonaire. They can be found crossing the road, in the kunuku (outback), up in the trees and in my apartment. Yes, there were two whiptail lizards - specifically: Cnemidophorus murinus murinus hanging out. I think they accidentally got locked in the night before I arrived so they were glad to escape out onto the patio. Honestly, these lizards are used to people. They instinctively run to whatever you toss on the ground to grab it. They liked my lettuce leaves and my rotini and even my bagel crumbs. I'm a regular Johnny Bagelseed, getting animals of all kinds hooked on the white sesame dragon. So they can be cute. Physically, the big-eyed geckos and anoles look like cartoonish anime characters so they are the cutest of the herps.

Oh, and the birds! Bonaire has a native yellow-shouldered parrot population that can be seen all around town especially early in the morning and just before sunset. I set out a tub of water on the back patio of my apartment and it attracted lots of birds including Doves, Troupials, Bananaquit and others which I can't identify. There, they drank and bathed and bickered with the lizards and preened one another. It really made my topside experience so much nicer to have all of these critters in the backyard. One night, a one footed Black Crowned Night Heron hobbled into the area. I felt bad for him but he was full grown so he must be managing just fine.

All this to say that if cute is your bag, you can find it in Bonaire. From the more traditional fuzzy goat kids or donkeys at the sanctuary to the more reptilian or cephalopodian or just plain fish. Look for the cute wherever you stand!