Critter-cal Mass: 7 Amazingly Obese Zoo Animals

Lion King Size
Critter-cal Mass: 7 Amazingly Obese Zoo Animals

Sea lion see food, sea lion EAT seafood… repeat enough times and you’ve got this: a sea lion whose awesome girth is obvious to see when it’s lion around. Dude, ease up on the fatty fish and get some exercise, willya? Those orcas aren’t getting any slower and you’re a lot more than a midnight snack. (image via Kitty Ireland)

Kung Food Panda
Critter-cal Mass: 7 Amazingly Obese Zoo Animals

“He’s just big-boned,” one might say, but for this portly panda, gravity is a cruel master… this is one case where having some extra padding is going to come in handy. On a more serious note, obesity in pandas is a real issue that continues to bedevil Chinese researchers at the country’s several panda centers and zookeepers around the world. It’s not that bamboo – the endangered animal’s preferred diet – is fattening but the creatures have limited opportunities to burn off the calories they ingest. If only there was some sort of ancient Chinese martial arts and mental discipline program these often too-cuddly creatures could partake in. (image via Willem van der Horst)