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Animal Photos Of The Week

Tiger Cubs, Meerkats And More Animal Photos

This was certainly a week for interesting animal news.

Penguins may be flightless birds, but we learned that they can fly first class. Two penguins, named Pete and Penny, made an appearance on a Delta flight from San Antonio to Atlanta this week. The penguins were reportedly en route to New York for the premiere of "Frozen Planet."

In other strange but true animal news, opossums can snowboard -- and they're not that bad at it. A ski resort in Pennsylvania used an opossum named Ratatouille for a recent promotional campaign. Maybe its not the opossum's favorite activity, but in this video clip he doesn't seem too hesitant to shred.

It was revealed this week that an elderly gorilla at a zoo in Pennsylvania received a new companion. Samantha, a 47-year-old western lowland gorilla, was given a rabbit last month to keep her company. According to the Associated Press, Samantha had been without "a full-time friend" since a male gorilla died in 2005.

Beachgoers near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil helped save around 30 dolphins this week after the animals beached themselves en masse, according to AP. All of the dolphins were reportedly saved.

Five months after the animal farm release that resulted in the deaths of 48 exotic and endangered animals, legislation was introduced in Ohio to "ban new ownership of exotic animals in the state and immediately prohibit people from acquiring new or additional dangerous wildlife," explained AP. Ohio reportedly has "some of the nation's weakest restrictions on exotic pets."

Below, check out some of the cutest, coolest and most interesting animal photos from around the world this week.

Animals Photos Of The Week 3/11/12
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From AP: Seven weeks old Java male leopard Arjuna, left, and female leopard Sri Kandi, are pictured during their official presentation at the Tierpark Zoo in Berlin, Germany, Monday, March 5, 2012. The mother of the cubs, Shinta, was born at the Taman Safari park in Indonesia. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) (credit:AP)
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From AP: Meerkats relax under a heating light during cold temperatures in the Erfurt zoo, central Germany, Thursday, March 8, 2012. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer) (credit:AP)
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From Getty: RIO GRANDE, PUERTO RICO - MARCH 10: An iguana looks on at the 12th hole during the third round of the Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com held at Trump International Golf Club on March 10, 2012 in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Michael Cohen/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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From AP: The three tiger cubs Mila, Finja and Jegor play in their compound at the zoo in Cologne, Germany, Thursday, March 8, 2012. (AP Photo/dapd, Roberto Pfeil) (credit:AP)
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From AP: The Erie Zoo's lowland gorilla Samantha, left, shares her space with Panda, a Dutch rabbit, at the zoo in Erie, Pa. on Thursday, March 8, 2012. (AP Photo/Erie Times-News, Greg Wohlford) (credit:AP)
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From Getty: BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - MARCH 08: A Dalmation sits in it's kennel on Day one of Crufts at the Birmingham NEC Arena on March 8, 2012 in Birmingham, England. During the annual four-day competition nearly 22,000 dogs and their owners will compete in a variety of categories, ultimately seeking the coveted prize of 'Best In Show'. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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From AP: Zebras go different ways in the Erfurt zoo, central Germany, Thursday, March 8, 2012. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer) (credit:AP)
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From AP: In a Tuesday, March 6, 2012 photo provided by the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, a newborn clouded leopard cub is hand-fed at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, Wash. An endangered clouded leopard gave birth to two healthy cubs, a male and a female. Zoo staff will hand-raise the cubs for the cubsí safety and will invite the public to vote on the cubsí names once the cubs are more settled. (AP Photo/Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium) (credit:AP)
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From Getty: BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: A man holds a Staffordshire Bull Terrier on his shoulder during the fourth and final day of Crufts at the Birmingham NEC Arena on March 11, 2012 in Birmingham, England. During the annual four-day competition nearly 22,000 dogs and their owners will compete for a variety of accolades, ultimately seeking the coveted title of 'Best In Show'. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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From Getty: BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - MARCH 08: Two dogs take in some last minute practice on Day one of Crufts at the Birmingham NEC Arena on March 8, 2012 in Birmingham, England. During the annual four-day competition nearly 22,000 dogs and their owners will compete in a variety of categories, ultimately seeking the coveted prize of 'Best In Show'. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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From AP: A giraffe baby looks around in his new enclosure during the first contact with the herd of Rothschild giraffes in the Leipzig zoo, central Germany, Monday, March 5, 2012. The male, still nameless giraffe baby, was born in Leipzig, Feb. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer) (credit:AP)
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From Getty: ESHER, ENGLAND - MARCH 10: Runners flick up the mud at Sandown racecourse on March 10, 2012 in Esher, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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From Getty: A gray iguana walks in a fountain in downtown Caracas on March 7, 2012. AFP PHOTO/JUAN BARRETO (credit:Getty)
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From Getty: A gray iguana walks in a fountain in downtown Caracas on March 7, 2012. AFP PHOTO/JUAN BARRETO (credit:Getty)
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From Getty: A squirrel leaps toward a tree off an electrical wire in Los Angeles on March 6, 2012 in California. Squirrels have an affinity for power lines and are not electrocuted when running across them, but suffer the consequences only when their bodies make contact with the wire and either the ground, or a transformer. AFP PHOTO/Frederic J. BROWN (credit:Getty)
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From AP: The three tiger cubs Mila, Finja and Jegor play in front of their mother Hanya in their compound at the zoo in Cologne, Germany, Thursday, March 8, 2012. (AP Photo/dapd, Roberto Pfeil) (credit:AP)
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From Getty: BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: An Afghan Hound lays on a grooming table during the fourth and final day of Crufts at the Birmingham NEC Arena on March 11, 2012 in Birmingham, England. During the annual four-day competition nearly 22,000 dogs and their owners will compete for a variety of accolades, ultimately seeking the coveted title of 'Best In Show'. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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From AP: Two young cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) play in their enclosure in the zoo in Neuwied , Germany, Monday March 5, 2012. (AP Photo/dapd/ Tim Schulz) (credit:AP)
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From Getty: A green Gecko is seen on a palm at Vallee de Mai forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in Praslin island on March 6, 2012. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLI (credit:Getty)
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From Getty: A BulBul bird sits on a branch at the Valle de Mai forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on the Praslin island on March 6, 2012. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLI (credit:Getty)
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From Getty: A Bronze Eyed Gecko at Valle de Mai forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on Praslin island on March 6, 2012. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLI (credit:Getty)
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From AP: Seven weeks old Java male leopard Arjuna, left, and female leopard Sri Kandi, are pictured during their official presentation at the Tierpark Zoo in Berlin, Germany, Monday, March 5, 2012. The mother of the cubs, Shinta, was born at the Taman Safari park in Indonesia. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) (credit:AP)
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From Getty: LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 05: A mouse sits on a platform at a London Underground station on March 5, 2012 in London, England. London's underground rail system, commonly called the tube, is the oldest of its kind in the world dating back to 1890. It carries approximately a quarter of a million people around its network every day along its 249 miles of track and 270 stations. The network has undergone several years of upgrade work and refurbishment in preparation for the Olympic Games which take place this summer. During this time the tube is expected to carry millions of visitors to and from the Olympic Parks. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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From Getty: A skink at Valle de Mai forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on Praslin island on March 6, 2012. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLI (credit:Getty)
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From Getty: Aldabra Giant Tortoises are pictured at the botanic garden in Mahe on March 5, 2012. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLI (credit:Getty)
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From Getty: A leopard shark (below), swims past as Sydney Aquarium divers unveil a Greenpeace banner urging UNESCO to save the Great Barrier Reef, at the Sydney Aquarium on March 5, 2012. During a press conference at the Sydney Aquarium, Greenpeace Australia Pacific CEO Helen Gibbons issued a call to a UNESCO delegation on a two week mission to Australia, saying 'The coal boom in Queensland is threatening to turn the Great Barrier Reef into an industrial zone'. AFP PHOTO / Greg WOOD (credit:Getty)
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From Getty: BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - MARCH 10: A Samoyen sits on a grooming table next to it's owner on day three of Crufts at the Birmingham NEC Arena on March 10, 2012 in Birmingham, England. During the annual four-day competition nearly 22,000 dogs and their owners will compete for a variety of accolades, ultimately seeking the coveted title of 'Best In Show'. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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From AP: Cincinnati Zoo nursery keeper Dawn Strasser feeds four one-month-old hedgehogs, Thursday, March 8, 2012, at the nursery in Cincinnati. Two male and two female hedgehogs were born Feb. 4 and are being hand raised by the nursery keepers until they are old enough to be included in the zoo's animal outreach program. (AP Photo/Al Behrman) (credit:AP)
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From AP: This image provided by the San Diego Zoo shows a technician holding a California condor egg that is beginning to pop, center right, or break from its shell, Thursday, March 8, 2012 in San Diego. The egg will hatch live on the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy's Condor Cam in the next two to three days. The Condor Cam is the public's first ever opportunity to see a live birth.(AP Photo/San Diego Zoo, Tammy Spratt) (credit:AP)
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From AP: A meerkat observes its enclosure in the Erfurt zoo, central Germany, Thursday, March 8, 2012. (AP Photo/dapd/ Candy Welz) (credit:AP)
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From Getty: A seagull waits as the rain prevents play from starting during day five of the first five day international cricket test match between New Zealand and South Africa at the University Oval in Dunedin on March 11, 2012. AFP PHOTO/MARTY MELVILLE (credit:Getty)
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From AP: A baby joey hangs out in the pouch of Skippy, a six-year-old red kangaroo, at the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, Wednesday, March 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) (credit:AP)

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