Look At This Adorable Local Animal That We Just Learned About

In the Outerlands where Golden Gate Park neighbors are constantly keeping an eye on the wildlife just in case a coyote tries to steal their baby or something, local nature photographer David Cruz spotted these wonderfully colorful American Coot Chicks bobbing around near 42nd Avenue. We had no idea what an American Coot was until this morning, but now we're pretty sure it's some kind of duck from outerspace. Just look at those things!

Should you wish to experience your own spaceduck sighting before they mature in to boring, old black-feathered waterfowl you can spot these fellas in Golden Gate Park's North Lake. Or, if you're lazy, here they are on video:

As always, please remember to be respectful of the local fauna.

David Cruz/Nature's Latern on Flickr. Hat tip to the nature lovers at RichmondSF