Photos: Animal shots of the week
Zoo animals hide from a cold snap, cheetahs get their own day and a sleepy basket of puppies—it's all in this week's animal gallery.
Animal shots of the week
Nola the arctic fox curls up on the snow, at Denver Zoo, which was closed to the public due to extreme cold, in Denver Thursday Dec. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Animal shots of the week
Young crossbreed dogs cuddle up to each others in a small basket at Gut Aiderbichl in Henndorf, in the Austrian province of Salzburg, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013. Gut Aiderbichl is a place of mercy for rescued animals. (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson)
Animal shots of the week
A baby hippo bobs next to its mother, in Kenya's Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Animal shots of the week
Six-month old female liliger cub Eva plays in snow with her mother Zita in the Zoo in Novosibirsk, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013. (AP Photo /Ilnar Salakhiev)
Animal shots of the week
Chaos, a Chimpanzee, looks through the glass at visitors during his public debut in the Onstead Foundation Chimpanzee Habitat at the Houston Zoo Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Animal shots of the week
Sango, an African lion, yawns as he rests with another lion, named Sabi, inside a heated indoor pen at Denver Zoo, which closed due to extreme cold, in Denver Thursday Dec. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Animal shots of the week
Daisy the red panda paws at a branch coated with ice, at Denver Zoo, which was closed to the public due to extreme cold, in Denver Thursday Dec. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Animal shots of the week
Rajah the African lion rests inside a heated indoor pen at Denver Zoo, which was closed to the public due to extreme cold, in Denver Thursday Dec. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Animal shots of the week
Lee the polar bear roams his pen, at Denver Zoo, which was closed to the public due to extreme cold, in Denver Thursday Dec. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Animal shots of the week
Kootenai the grizzly bear roams his pen, at Denver Zoo, which was closed to the public due to extreme cold, in Denver Thursday Dec. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Animal shots of the week
Zookeeper Heather Genter plays with Sango, an African lion, as another lion, named Sabi, prepares to pounce, bottom left, inside a heated indoor pen at Denver Zoo, which closed to the public due to extreme cold, in Denver Thursday Dec. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Animal shots of the week
Kiana Miller sleds down a hill at Washburn Park as her dog Lulu chases her in Eugene, Ore. on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013. (AP Photo/The Register-Guard, Brian Davies)
Animal shots of the week
Getting air off of a ramp in Foster Park south of TCU, dad Landon Stallings rode with daughter Vada (age 9) and son Jack (age 8) as their dog "Halo" gives chase. Cold and ice remained in Fort Worth Sunday, with roads especially treacherous in the the morning hours before temperatures rose, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013. (AP Photo/Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Paul Moseley)
Animal shots of the week
A baby of palm cockatoos, also known as the Goliath Cockatoo, is presented at the Zoo in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013. It is the first of its kind that was born in Czech Republic and the first baby palm cockatoo in Europe since 2010. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Animal shots of the week
Texas blind salamander rests on a rock in an aquarium at the San Marcos National Fish Hatchery as part of Refugia, the program launched by the Edwards Aquifer Authority to provide for reintroduction of species back into water environments after drought, on Nov. 6, 2013. (AP Photo/San Antonio Express-News, Tom Reel)
Animal shots of the week
Zebras nuzzle together, in Kenya's Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Monday, Dec. 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Animal shots of the week
A baby zebra trots behind its mother, in Kenya's Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Monday, Dec. 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Animal shots of the week
A baby zebra trots beside its mother, in Kenya's Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Monday, Dec. 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Animal shots of the week
Lion cubs trot behind their mother as they cross a dirt track in Kenya's Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Animal shots of the week
A lioness walks with one of her cubs, in Kenya's Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Animal shots of the week
A giraffe walks in Kenya's Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Animal shots of the week
Buffalo graze in Kenya's Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Animal shots of the week
Wildebeest and zebra cross the Mara River, in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Animal shots of the week
An elephant grazes as dusk approaches in Kenya's Amboseli National Park, Friday, Dec. 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Animal shots of the week
In this photo taken Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013 Shannon Johnstone, right, photographs a dog at a former landfill site in Raleigh, N.C. with the help of shelter volunteer Bonnie Keyes. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Animal shots of the week
This photo shows a snowy owl at the Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, in Galloway Township, N.J., on Wednesday Dec. 4, 2013. Birdwatchers traveled from all over to see the owl Wednesday. (AP Photo/The Press of Atlantic City, Vernon Ogrodnek)
Animal shots of the week
Bo, right, and Sunny, the Obama family dogs, watch as children join first lady Michelle Obama in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013, as she invites them to particpate in making holiday crafts and tour the 2013 Christmas decorations. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Animal shots of the week
Ashtyn Gardner, 2, from Mobile, Ala., loses her balance as her leg gets caught in a walker belonging to another child, left, as she is greeted by Sunny, one of the presidential dogs at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Animal shots of the week
In this photo provided by Fiesta Floats, trainer Chris Perondi performs tricks with Crazy Confetti, a rescue dog, on The Lucy Foundation Rose Parade float during a float test run on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013, in Irwindale, Calif. (AP Photo/Fiesta Floats, John Hayes)
Animal shots of the week
Amelia Luciano, left, holds Lola, as Brett Lukasiewicz, right, holds Sully, after they were routed from their home by an early morning fire, Friday, Dec. 6, 2013, in Buffalo, N.Y. The cats were rescued from their apartment by firefighters. (AP Photo/The Buffalo News, Derek Gee)
Animal shots of the week
The Houston Zoo's Samantha Junker, left, and Sara Riger lead the zoo's two male cheetahs, Kito and Kiburi, at the Houston Dynamo's practice field located at Houston Sports Park, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013, in Houston. Wednesday is International Cheetah Day. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Jake Nielsen)
Animal shots of the week
The Houston Zoo's two male cheetahs, Kito and Kiburi, run at the Houston Dynamo's practice field located at Houston Sports Park Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013, in Houston. Wednesday is International Cheetah Day. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Jake Nielsen)
Animal shots of the week
Six-month old female liliger cub Eva plays in the snow in a Zoo in Novosibirsk, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013. The cub's mother is Zita, a liger - half-lioness, half-tiger, and its father is a lion, Sam. (AP Photo /Ilnar Salakhiev)
Animal shots of the week
Lion Nati plays with her cubs at a Zoo in Novosibirsk, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013. The two lion cubs were born on Oct. 30 in the Novosibirsk Zoo. (AP Photo /Ilnar Salakhiev)
Animal shots of the week
A San Francisco 49ers fan's dog stands in the cold outside Candlestick Park before an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Animal shots of the week
A woman walks her dogs across a tree-lined Johannesburg suburban street in thick early morning mist after heavy overnight rains, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)
Animal shots of the week
Katie and Perry Wilson and their dog pose for a picture while holding candles for Nelson Mandela in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013. Mandela died Thursday at his Johannesburg home after a long illness. He was 95(AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
Animal shots of the week
Engineer Steven Marinaro gives Fur Ball oxygen through a mask at the scene of a fire in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/The Sun News, Janet Blackmon Morgan)
Animal shots of the week
Toby chews a treat during his public debut in the Onstead Foundation Chimpanzee Habitat at the Houston Zoo Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Animal shots of the week
Sierra, right, opens a package as Kenya, left, watches during their public debut in the Onstead Foundation Chimpanzee Habitat at the Houston Zoo Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Animal shots of the week
A bald eagle takes wing from its perch above the Glenn Highway on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2013, at the Knik Arm Access pullout near Palmer and Wasilla, Alaska. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Erik Hill)
Animal shots of the week
In a Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013 file photo, dozens of pilot whales are stranded in shallow water in a remote area of Florida's Everglades National Park. While authorities are hopeful the whales are headed back to the deeper, colder waters that form their natural habitat, they cannot say for sure. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
Animal shots of the week
Zookeeper Heather Genter smiles at Sango, an African lion, who rests inside a heated indoor pen at Denver Zoo, which closed due to extreme cold, in Denver, Thursday Dec. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Animal shots of the week
Kootenai the grizzly bear roams his pen, at Denver Zoo, which was closed to the public due to extreme cold, in Denver Thursday Dec. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Animal shots of the week
Cheetahs Mojo and Marvin, who are brothers, pass time inside their pen, at Denver Zoo, which was closed to the public due to extreme cold, in Denver Thursday Dec. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Animal shots of the week
This photo provided by the Lexington Humane Society, shows a cat named Freckles, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013, that was injured by fire, at the Humane Society in Lexington, Ky. The cat was found alive nearly a week after the animal shelter where it was housed caught fire. (AP Photo/Lexington Humane Society)
Animal shots of the week
In this Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013 photo, Kalijon, an orangutan, explores an app with assistant zoo supervisor Courtney Murray while getting enrichment time with an iPad at the Kansas City Zoo in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/The Kansas City Star, Shane Keyser)
Animal shots of the week
A six-month old female liliger cub Eva plays in snow in the Zoo in Novosibirsk, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013. The cub's mother is Zita, a liger - half-lioness, half-tiger, and its father is a lion, Sam. (AP Photo /Ilnar Salakhiev)
Animal shots of the week
Brayden Gillen, 5, says hello to Santa Claus as he makes an appearance in the main tank of the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013. (AP Photo/The Telegraph Herald, Jeremy Portje)